government patronage
State-sponsored appointments freely
Government patronage is the practice of awarding jobs, contracts, or favors based on political loyalty rather than merit.
A newly elected official might fill agency positions with campaign supporters, or steer contracts to donors.
The term often carries a negative connotation, suggesting corruption or inefficiency: The department was bloated with government patronage hires.
- appointmentsScheduled times for meetings
- subsidiesFinancial aid from government
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
- grantsAwarded funds for purposes
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
spoils system · jobs for the boys · lobbying · campaign financing · tax incentives · favoritism · sinecures · party loyalty · political machine · transparency · conflicts of interest · revolving door · educational funding · New Deal programs · infrastructure funding · housing projects · resource allocation · pork barrel
government patronagemeritocracy
Advancement through demonstrated ability
merit-based selection · merit system · competitive examination · blind hiring · technocracy
government patronagecivil service examination
Government employment screening test
government patronagegood governance
Accountable, transparent institutional management
competitive bidding · anti-corruption · rule of law · accountability · depoliticization
government, govern, governor, governed, governing, governs, governance, governmental, governorship