Patrimonialism

Patrimonialism is a term closely associated with the sociology of Max Weber. Weber wrote of patrimonialism as a form of government centered on family structures, particularly on the authority of fathers within families, in other words patriarchy. For Weber, patrimonial monarchies and similar forms of government were projections of patriarchy (the rule of the father within the family) onto a broader set of social relationships. Weber's overarching argument was that with modernity, patrimonial forms of government gave way to bureaucratic rationalism as an abidding logic of governance.

Nathan Quimpo [Political Science professor at the University of Tsukuba] defines patrimonialism as "a type of rule in which the ruler does not distinguish between personal and public patrimony and treats matters and resources of state as his personal affair." [Quimpo, p. 2]

There are innumerable examples of patrimonial states. Indonesia, under the Suharto administration, is often cited as being patrimonial in its political-economy. [Schwarz, Adam. 2004. "A Nation in Waiting." Boulder, CO: Westview Press.] The Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos is another oft-cited example. Others have described the Mafia as having patrimonial tendencies.

Julia Adams, a sociologist at Yale University, argues for increased application of the term. She discusses the origins and etymology of the term in Max Weber's work:

In Weber’s Economy and Society, patrimonialism mainly refers to forms of governmentthat are based on rulers’ family-households. The ruler’s authority is personal-familial, and themechanics of the household are the model for political administration. The concept ofpatrimonialism captures a distinctive style of regulation and administration that contrasts withWeber’s ideal-typical rational-legal bureaucracy, a better known concept... Rational-legal bureaucracies are manned by impersonal rulers and substitutable actors; they boast clear-cut spheres of competence, ordered hierarchies of personnel and procedures, and an institutional separation of the 'private' and the 'official'... Weber likens [bureaucracy] to a 'machine' ... Patrimonialism is more like a manor house... with, one would suppose, particularly extensive grounds. Patrimonialrulers cite 'age-old rules and powers' – sacred tradition – as the basis of their political authority. Their power is discretionary, and the line between persons and offices notional...

¶...For Weber... patriarchy is at the heart of patrimonialism. Their linguisticconnection – 'patrimony' derives from the Latin patrimonium for paternal estate – is alsoconceptual and sociological. 'Patrimonial domination is thus a special case of patriarchaldomination,' Weber writes, 'domestic authority decentralized through assignment of land andsometimes of equipment to sons of the house or other dependents'... [Adams, p.2]

References

* Adams, Julia. "The Rule of the Father: Patriarchy and Patrimonialism in Early Modern Europe." Working paper. Russell Sage Foundation. [http://www.russellsage.org/publications/workingpapers/The%20Rule%20of%20the%20Father/document] Accessed September 6 2007.
* Quimpo, Nathan Gilbert "Trapo Parties and Corruption" "KASAMA" Vol. 21 No. 1, January-February-March 2007. [http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/2007/V21n1/TrapoPartiesAndCorruption.htm]

ee also

*Crony capitalism
*Neo-patrimonialism