Deadweight Loss

A loss in well being or utility brought on by something that is not efficient. For example, is Person A steals Person B's bicycle, that is not a deadweight loss, since there the total number of bicycles is the same.

However if in the course of stealing the bicycle Person A destroys the bicycle, that would be a deadweight lost since there is now one few bicycle between them.

See also Deadweight Loss of Christmas and Excess Burden.

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