In a patronage democracy, obtaining control of the state is the principal means of obtaining both a better livelihood and higher status.
Elected office or government jobs, rather than the private sector, become the principal sources of employment.
And because individuals who control the state are in a position of power over the lives of others, working in government brings with it higher status.
Those who have the capital to launch a political career in patronage democracies, therefore, seek political office.
And for those who do not, obtaining access to those who control the state becomes the principal source of both material and psychic benefits.
Proximity to a state official increases a voter’s chances of obtaining valued state resources and services.
At the same time, it affords the voter the chance to bask in the reflected glory of his patron’s power.
Patronage democracies, therefore, produce an overwhelming preoccupation with politics on the part of both elites and voters seeking both material and psychic goods