Clientelism

Clientelism or client politics is the exchange of goods and services for political support, often involving an implicit or explicit <a href="/facts/Quid-pro-quo/hlvg9USA">quid-pro-quo</a>. It is closely related to <a href="/facts/Patronage_politics/7PwxjCXt">patronage politics</a> and <a href="/facts/Vote_buying/Mrud2cLA">vote buying</a>.
Clientelism involves an asymmetric relationship between groups of political actors described as patrons, brokers, and clients. In client politics, an organized <a href="/facts/Interest_group/7oNDHtPI">interest group</a> benefits at the expense of the public. Client politics may have a strong interaction with the dynamics of <a href="/facts/Identity_politics/VrWYN0SD">identity politics</a>. This is particularly common in an elite <a href="/facts/Pluralism_(political_theory)/anlepgqy">pluralist</a> or rigidly <a href="/facts/Duopoly_in_politics/rQu8k2cR">duopolistic</a> system, such as in the United States, where lobbying can have considerable power shaping public policy. The opposite of client politics is entrepreneurial politics, or <a href="/facts/Conviction_politics/DQUn0aQs">conviction politics</a>. Although many definitions for clientelism have been proposed, according to the political scientist Allen Hicken, it is generally thought that there are four key elements of clientelistic relationships:

<ul><li>Dyadic relationships: Simply, these are two-way relationships.</li>
<li>Contingency: Delivery of a service to a citizen by a politician or broker is contingent on the citizen's actions on behalf of the politician or party through which they are receiving services.</li>
<li>Hierarchy: The politician or party is in a higher position of power than the citizen.</li>
<li>Iteration: The relationship is not a one-off exchange, but rather, ongoing.</li></ul>
Contingency and iteration are the two components shared across most definitions of clientelism.

Clientelism open-in-new

Clientelism