From Jonathan Rauch, One Word Describes Trump: A century ago, a German sociologist explained precisely how the president thinks about the world, The Atlantic, February 24, 2025.
Patrimonialism is less a form of government than a style of governing. It is not defined by institutions or rules; rather, it can infect all forms of government by replacing impersonal, formal lines of authority with personalized, informal ones. Based on individual loyalty and connections, and on rewarding friends and punishing enemies (real or perceived), it can be found not just in states but also among tribes, street gangs, and criminal organizations.
Ironically the process of going from formal to informal, depersonalised the decision-making, in that, it becomes one person’s agenda without the comprehension of the needs/agendas of the many persons, BUT not amalgamated, rather comprehensively synthesised in inclusive intelligence.
Featured Image: Max Weber, By Ernst Gottmann – https://cdn.britannica.com/49/39749-050-E773E614/Max-Weber-1918.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90183495
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Neville Buch
Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.
Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.
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