“Tell me who your political boss is and I will tell you who you are:” patronage and public employment in Colombia

ABSTRACT Patron–client relations have accompanied the historical development of societies for decades. In recent times, they have adapted to fundamental transformations in the modes of capital accumulation and government. The current context of global labor flexibility and instability, as well as increasing inter-party competition for access to power, has provided new opportunities for the development of these relationships. In this context, one of the most contested arenas is public employment. Thus, this article reconstructs the modus operandi of the patron–client relationships that take place in a local public entity, from the perspective of the clients involved in such relationships. For this purpose, 70 in-depth interviews were conducted with employees of a public agency in the municipality of Santiago de Cali (Colombia). This study yields interesting results about the way in which the processes of labor deregulation and downsizing of the Colombian state have favored the functioning of patronage systems. It also describes the effects that these systems have had on the functioning of public agencies.