Editing Parable of the broken window (section)

{{short description|Parable by French economist Frédéric Bastiat}}
{{about|the economic parable|the criminological theory|Broken windows theory}}
[[File:Broken window large.jpg|thumb|When a child accidentally smashes a window, and then it has to be replaced, does this accident constitute a benefit to society, due to the economic activity of repairing and replacing the window?]]
The '''parable of the broken window''' was introduced by French economist [[Frédéric Bastiat]] in his 1850 essay "[[#{{harvid|Bastiat|1850}}|That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen]]" ("{{lang|fr|Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas}}") to illustrate why destruction, and the money spent to recover from destruction, is not actually a net benefit to society.

The [[parable]] seeks to show how [[opportunity cost]]s, as well as the law of [[unintended consequences]], affect economic activity in ways that are unseen or ignored. The belief that destruction is good for the economy is consequently known as the '''broken window fallacy''' or '''glazier's fallacy'''.