What is the broken window fallacy?

Answer 1

According to Malcolm Gladwell in his book, The Tipping Point, "Broken Windows was the brainchild of the criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. Wilson and Kelling argued that crime is the inevitable result of disorder. If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes."

Answer 2

The broken window fallacy, also known as the parable of the broken window, is an argument against the idea that destruction can be helpful to the economy. It counters the argument that a broken window is good for the economy because it leads to the employment of the glass maker and the handyman who fix the window. This argument ignores the fact that, if they were not busy fixing the broken window, thus merely returning the overall state of affairs to what it was previously, they could be involved in something else that could actually increase overall wealth and well-being. See the related links for more.