Patrimonialism

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Patrimonialism is a term originated by Max Weber. He used it to describe a system of rule based on administrative and military personnel, who were responsible only to the ruler. Nathan Quimpo^[1] 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."^[2]

There are innumerable examples of patrimonial states. Indonesia, under the Suharto administration, is often cited as being patrimonial in its political-economy.^[3] 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 government that are based on rulers’ family-households. The ruler’s authority is personal-familial, and the mechanics of the household are the model for political administration. The concept of patrimonialism captures a distinctive style of regulation and administration that contrasts with Weber’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. Patrimonial rulers 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 linguistic connection – 'patrimony' derives from the Latin patrimonium for paternal estate – is also conceptual and sociological. 'Patrimonial domination is thus a special case of patriarchal domination,' Weber writes, 'domestic authority decentralized through assignment of land and sometimes of equipment to sons of the house or other dependents'...^[4]

[edit] References

^ Political Science professor at the University of Tsukuba
^ Quimpo, p. 2
^ Schwarz, Adam. 2004. A Nation in Waiting. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
^ Adams, p.2

Adams, Julia. "The Rule of the Father: Patriarchy and Patrimonialism in Early Modern Europe." Working paper. Russell Sage Foundation. [1] Accessed September 6 2007.
Quimpo, Nathan Gilbert "Trapo Parties and Corruption" KASAMA Vol. 21 No. 1, January-February-March 2007.[2]