Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization. It can also refer to the business given by a regular customer, and the guardianship of saints.
In some countries the term is often used to describe the corrupt use of state money and goods to benefit groups, families, ethnicities or races in exchange for votes. These patronage systems are different depending on the area in which they are practiced.
The term comes from the Latin patronatus.
Sources and other websites
Johannes Baptist Sägmüller. Patron and Patronage, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI, 1911, Robert Appleton Company. This is the reference for the Canon law section. The role of patrons in the Renaissance