“Rule Beating” is a term used to describe behaviors in which agents subject to a rule find ways to comply with the letter of the rule, regardless of the intent or “spirit” of the rule.
Examples:
- Spending budgets frivolously at the end of the year so you can claim having achieved accuracy in your forecast. (Gaming KPIs)
- Protections of land on which endangered species natively lived, leading to some folks, having discovered the endangered species on their land choosing to kill the endangered animal rather than have their land be subject to the protections.
Rule beating may be done out of spite, or could possibly just be done out of apathy. Either way, it’s a sign of an ineffective policy and probably contributing to some form of Waste.
Rule beating behavior is a signal that the rules are not ideal in some form (be them overly restrictive, vague, outdated, or bad Proxy Measures).