Patronage
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.
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2 Commercial 3 Art 4 Music |
Politics
In politics, patronage is the practice by holders of political office of appointing their followers or fellow party members to various government-funded jobs, or rewarding them with government contracts. These could be high-level posts such as ambassadorships or lower-level civil service or even blue-collar jobs.
It is seen as a tool for rewarding and enforcing loyalty; loyalty is the criterion for selecting a person rather than meritocratic considerations. The selection process, if not the competence of the person, is seen as questionable.
Patronage is usually a power of the executive branch which in most countries has the right to make most of the lucrative appointments. In some countries, such as the United States, high level appointments have to be reviewed by the legislature; in other countries, such as those using the Westminster system, this is not the case.
While common in almost all nations patronage is unpopular among voters and if too obvious can hurt a leader. This is especially that case if the appointed one is grossly unqualified. A common story of excessive patronage is Caligula's appointment of his horse to the Roman Senate, but the actual story is probably more complicated than it is often related.
Commercial
Sometimes consumers support smaller or local businesses or corporations out of loyalty even if other cheaper options exist.Art
In other fields, however, the word has a more neutral or even positive connotation. In the arts, for instance, "patronage" simply refers to support (often financial) of an artist.Music
Classical musicians worked primarily under the patronage system where either royalty or the church (or both) provided resources for composers.