Patronage
From Free net encyclopedia
Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. A patronage system has different characteristics depending on the area in which it is practiced. Generally it can be described as a system where someone in a powerful position (the Patron) offers handouts in return for support.
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Politics
Political leaders often have at their disposal a great deal of patronage, in the sense that they take decisions on the appointment of officials inside and outside government (for example on quangos). Patronage is therefore a recognised and legitimate power of the executive branch. In most countries it has the right to make many of appointments, some of which may be lucrative, or sinecures. In some countries, high level appointments may be reviewed by the legislature; in other countries, such as those using the Westminster system, this is not the case. Some countries, such as the United States, permit the legislature to review some appointees, but not all.
In politics, patronage more narrowly defined is the practice by holders of political office of appointing their followers or fellow party members to positions. For example, those could be high-level posts such as ambassadorships, or lower-level civil service posts. Even blue-collar jobs on the government payroll may be sought after. Such overt political patronage is seen as a tool for rewarding and enforcing loyalty; loyalty is the criterion for selecting a person rather than more meritocratic considerations. The selection process, if not the competence of the person, is then, naturally seen as questionable. There is a fine line dividing this from rewarding supporters corruptly with government contracts.
Patronage can consequently be seen as one of the possible major deficiencies of a system of excess bureaucracy, defined as a system with a weak bureaucratic structure, the availability of large public resources to the Patron, and that these public resources be easily divisible in order to target specific groups and individuals.
Nepotism and cronyism are more specific types of patronage.
See also: political machine
Patronage in the Gilded Age
In the United States during the Gilded Age, patronage became a central issue, due to bipartisan agreement on national issues and political decadence.
Republican Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York became a powerful political figure by determining who in the party would gain certain lucrative positions. Conkling and his supporters were known as Stalwarts. Their rivals for patronage were called Halfbreeds. Those who abstained from the patronage conflicts were referred to as Mugwumps - their "mug" on one side of the fence, their "wump" on the other.
When James Garfield became President, he appointed Halfbreeds to most offices (despite the appointment of Stalwart Chester A. Arthur to the role of Vice President, which was a compromise within the Republican Party). This provoked the ire of the Stalwarts. Charles J. Guiteau, a Stalwart, assassinated Garfield in 1881, 6 months after he became President.
To prevent further political violence, and in response to public outrage, Congress passed the Pendleton Act in 1883, which set up the Civil Service Commission. Henceforth, applicants for most federal government jobs would have to pass an examination. Federal politicians' influence over bureaucratic appointments waned, and patronage declined as a national political issue.
The Arts
Classical musicians worked primarily under the patronage system: royalty or the church provided resources for composers. That is, patrons operated as sponsors. This kind of system continues across many fields of the arts. Though the nature of the sponsors has changed, the term patronage has a more neutral connotation than in politics. It may simply refer to direct support (often financial) of an artist, for example by grants.
See also: Category:Philanthropy
Commercial
Sometimes consumers support smaller or local businesses or corporations out of loyalty even if other cheaper options exist.
Ecclesiastical
- See main article Parish
In the Church of England, patronage is the commonly-used term for the right to present a candidate for the benefice of a particular parish.
Patronage in the Renaissance
During the Renaissance, most artistic and scientific work was supported by an extensive system of patronage, encompassing both royal and holy courts. Patrons—such as kings, dukes, cardinals and other authority figures—recruited eminent artists, musicians, astrologers, natural philosophers and others as clients. Often they commissioned particular pieces; would-be clients often dedicated their works to powerful men in order to attract them as patrons. In return for support (both social and financial), clients enhanced the reputations of wealthy patrons through association with their own work. Some patrons, such as the Medici, may have done this to "cleanse" wealth that was perceived as ill-gotten through usury.