<ul> <li> It looks at Italian clientelism in a holistic cultural contest not just within limited sectors of the society (which is the tendency of political science and sociological approaches). </li> <li> It approaches Italian clientelism from a deeply emic perspective that is from the point of view of the people studied.</li> <li> It constitutes a missing link between older studies of patronage-clientelism (1950s-1970s) and contemporary studies of corruption.</li> <li> Many books about clientelism in Italy (often written by journalists) take a moralistic tone; this book is instead an objective scientific study. </li></ul><p> </p><br /><br />