Clientelism facts for kids

Clientelism (say "kly-en-TEL-iz-um") or client politics is about trading goods or services for political help. It's like a deal where one person or group gives something, and in return, they get support in politics. This is often linked to patronage politics and vote buying.

In clientelism, there's a special relationship between three groups: patrons, brokers, and clients. Patrons are usually powerful politicians or parties. Clients are the citizens who receive benefits. Brokers are the people who connect patrons and clients. This system often means a small group or interest group gets benefits, sometimes at the expense of everyone else.

Political scientist Allen Hicken explains that clientelism usually has four main parts:

• Two-way relationships: This means it's a deal between two sides.
• Conditions: A politician gives a service or gift, but only if the citizen does something for them or their party.
• Power difference: The politician or party has more power than the citizen.
• Ongoing: It's not just a one-time trade. The relationship continues over time.

The ideas of "conditions" and "ongoing" are the most important parts of clientelism.

Where Did Clientelism Start?

The idea of clientelism goes way back to ancient Rome. In Rome, there were important relationships between a patronus (a powerful person) and a cliens (someone who depended on the patron). These relationships were very important for how politics worked.

Even though both sides had duties to each other, the patron always had more power. This wasn't just a simple one-on-one deal. It was more like a big network called clientela. A patron might also be a client to someone even more powerful. And a client might have more than one patron. These connections helped a complex society grow, but they could also lead to disagreements.

Historians have seen similar ideas in later times, like in the Middle Ages. Sometimes, words like "clientelism," "patron-client relationship," "patronage", and "political machine" are used to describe similar political systems. For example, the reigns of Julius Caesar and Tiberius in ancient Rome are often seen as times when clientelism was very common.

How Clientelism Works

Clientelism is a way that politicians give out resources or benefits. It's different from regular government programs because it's not always open or public. Also, the benefits are often given on the condition that voters support the politician or party.

Imagine a powerful person (the patron) who has authority, money, or social status. They make a deal with someone who needs their help (the client). The patron gives special access to goods or opportunities. They might even use their position to direct resources to their supporters. In return, clients are expected to give their support, and sometimes, their votes.

Patrons often look for people or families who need help, like those with lower incomes. They offer resources in exchange for the clients' time, their vote, or their help in getting other people to support the patron.

However, patrons can't always know exactly what every voter needs or if they will keep their promise. So, they often hire people called brokers. Brokers are like middlemen. They are better at finding out what voters need, which voters are easy to convince, and if a voter actually followed through on their part of the deal. These brokers help political leaders, but sometimes they might not do exactly what the leaders want.

Many people who study clientelism think that politicians must be able to check how people vote to make this system work. If they can't see how people vote, then rewarding or punishing voters would be hard. But surprisingly, it's not very common for politicians to actually watch how people vote at the polls.

Clientelism includes different types of actions:

• Patronage: This is when benefits flow from a party to its members.
• Turnout buying: This is when voters are given something to make sure they go to the polls and vote.
• Abstention buying: This is when voters are given something to make them stay home and not vote.
• Vote buying: This is a direct trade of goods or services for a person's vote. It's like saying, "Did you vote for me, or will you vote for me, in exchange for this?"

A key part of clientelism is that while both sides benefit, the patron always has more power. They control access to important resources. The clients depend on the patrons. In exchange for benefits, clients are expected to give political support.

Different Kinds of Clientelism

Politicians can use clientelism with individuals or with groups.

• Individual clientelism: This is like a direct deal. A politician gives a citizen goods or services. In return, that citizen promises to vote for the politician in the next election. Sometimes, it can also involve threats: citizens might be told they won't get benefits unless they vote a certain way. Voters can also pressure politicians into these deals for their support.

One study looked at clientelism in Argentina. It suggested that a political party might have given money to voters to buy their votes. The idea was that they targeted voters who were only a little against them, thinking these voters would be easy to convince. The study also suggested that it's easier for parties to track votes in smaller communities, making vote buying more common there. Smaller communities are also often poorer and need resources more, making them a good target.

Another study on the same election suggested something different. It said the party might have been trying to get their strong supporters to simply show up and vote, rather than trying to change minds. In this case, the party would be more sure they got a vote from someone they gave benefits to.

• Group-level clientelism: In many newer democracies, parties might give benefits to specific groups of voters. This is done on the condition of their past or future support. To make this work, parties need good ways to give out benefits and make sure groups keep their promises. This is where brokers come in handy. Brokers give parties detailed information about what different groups need and which groups will vote for them.

There are different kinds of brokers:

• Party brokers: These work directly for a political party.
• Organizational brokers: These represent specific interest groups but help mobilize voters for many parties.
• Hybrid brokers: These also represent interest groups but are very loyal to one party.
• Independent brokers: These don't represent specific groups or have strong party loyalties.

Experts are still trying to figure out why parties choose to give clientelist benefits to certain groups more than others. Some early ideas suggested that politicians prefer to help people from their own ethnic group because it helps build trust. More recent ideas suggest that politicians focus on "swing voters" – those who might change their minds – or even on their most loyal supporters, just to make sure they vote.

Clientelism in Different Places

Clientelism can look different depending on the country or situation. Things like the type of leaders, how wealthy people are, a country's economic development, and its political systems can all affect how clientelism works.

In some places, clientelism is almost expected and becomes part of how politics is done. Leaders who stay in power for a long time, like traditional hereditary leaders, might be better at clientelism than elected officials who only serve for a few years.

Studies show that politicians can gain votes from clientelism. But there can also be downsides. Wealthier voters, who don't usually get involved in clientelism, might see it negatively and stop supporting those politicians. So, it's not just one thing that causes clientelism to happen.

What Happens Because of Clientelism?

Clientelism generally has bad effects on democracy and government. Its effects on the economy are less clear.

In a democracy, voters are supposed to hold elected officials responsible for their actions. But clientelism can weaken this. When votes depend on gifts to clients, people might vote based on what they received, not on how well the official did their job. Clientelism can also harm democratic rules, like the secret ballot (where your vote is private) and proper government oversight. This makes democratic systems weaker and government less efficient.

Corruption is also strongly linked to clientelism. One reason is that patrons often seem to be above the law in these systems. Also, some actions in clientelism, like vote buying, can be illegal. Finally, patrons might need to get resources in illegal ways to keep their clientelist system going. A study in 2021 found that voters in clientelist systems are less likely to punish corrupt politicians by not voting for them.

Some experts believe that because patrons focus on giving out private goods, they might ignore public goods like roads and schools. These public goods are important for a country's economy to grow. They also note that corruption, which is common in clientelist systems, can hurt the economy. However, the exact economic effects of clientelism are still not fully understood.

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