Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
The Law and the Profits
References
Britannica AI Icon

The Law and the Profits

work by Parkinson
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The Law and the Profits is a book by C. Northcote Parkinson that details his second law: "Expenditure rises to meet income." This law is a satirical observation, particularly aimed at government spending. Parkinson suggested that government officials tend to increase their own ranks and budgets, regardless of actual need, as long as there are funds available through taxation.1

This concept is related to his more famous "Parkinson's Law," which states that "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." Both laws offer a humorous yet insightful critique of bureaucracy and organizational behavior.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. C. Northcote Parkinson
  2. Parkinson's Law

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.