tekortkomt

Tekortkomt is a term used in Dutch-language discourse to describe a phenomenon in which shortages become recurring or endemic in an economy or sector. It functions as a neologism rather than an established dictionary entry, and is primarily encountered in journalism, policy analysis, and think-tank discussions about supply chains and markets.

Etymology and usage notes: the word is a composite drawn from tekort (shortage) and komt (comes), used metaphorically to express that a shortage repeatedly appears or persists over time. Because it is not an official term, its exact definition and connotations can vary by author or context. It is most often found in contemporary Dutch writing addressing structural or long-running supply constraints rather than brief, isolated scarcities.

Contexts and meanings: tekkortkomt is typically invoked in discussions about chronic shortages in critical sectors such as electronics components, medicines, housing, energy, or food. It is used to describe not just single shortages, but a pattern of intermittent or persistent gaps that complicate planning for businesses, governments, and households. The concept is frequently linked to broader debates about resilience, diversification of supply chains, and policy measures designed to reduce vulnerability to disruptions.

Implications and reception: as a relatively new and informal term, tekkortkomt has no formal definition in major dictionaries. Critics argue that it can be vague or rhetorically loaded, while supporters see value in naming a recurring problem that standard terms like “shortage” or “scarcity” may not fully capture. It is typically discussed alongside related ideas such as bottlenecks, demand shocks, and market fragility.

See also: shortage, scarcity, supply chain, bottleneck, resilience.