If such a politician courts the support of some farmers rather than others by promising to selectively employ his discretionary power in their favor, the transaction would be classified as a “patronage” transaction according to this chapter.
Although the term “patronage politics” is often used interchangeably with “porkbarrel” politics, this distinction between the two terms is important.
The collective transfer of goods to citizens through policy legislation produces different political outcomes from the individualized transfer of goods through policy implementation.