clientelism
Noun
Meaning
clientelism (countable and uncountable, plural clientelisms)
A political system based on personal relations rather than personal merits.
Synonyms
Examples
Following on from this, a third issue that I would have liked to have seen featured more prominently, is the prevalence of clientelism as a crucial means of both internal party organisation and electoral competition.
He has not only written extensively about clientelism, but he is a poet whose origins in poverty have left him able to empathize with citizens occupying the lowest strata of society.
It was an entirely plausible formulation, given what we have already discussed, and the realities of patronage and clientelism that we know prevail in this country.