asistencialismo: welfarism (but ...)

I've blogged asistencialismo before as charity, which works in some contexts and I think is clearer that welfarism, which is listed in many Sp-En dictionaries and sounds like it might be right, but the wikipedia definition of welfarism in English is something totally different than the wikipedia definition for asistencialismo. I noticed that Austin, in the fabulous article here about Bogotá, uses the Spanish version and then adds "(a pejorative neologism akin to “welfarism”)". What do folks think, does this work? Of course hard to add all that when you're doing simul - and I wonder if listeners would get that it's pejorative without that being pointed out? 

asistencialismo: clientelism

I have blogged asistencialismo twice before - it's a term that is difficult to convey in English but this gets much closer than my previous versions if we go with the google definition of clientelism as "a social order that depends upon relations of patronage; in particular, a political approach that emphasizes or exploits such relations".

I came across this rendition in the NACLA article Nicaragua: A view from the left, which I recommend!

note: after I posted this my colleague Eric Schwartz wrote to say, "I think the other entries you had before are closer. A re-working with "charity" seems like the best bet to me.

But clientelism doesn't seem right. Asistencialismo can be part of clientelismo, but not necessarily. It could just be broader State policy to meet immediate demands and demobilize people in the process, without necessarily feeding into a patronage system." 

 

I still think my handout-ism option is clunky, but maybe charityism would be understood? 

asistencialismo

asistencialismo: charity

On proz I found cult of dependency, and welfarism - neither are quite it, and I don't think would be well understood by most English speaking audiences. Charity will work in most contexts I think, though you may have to add charity attitude or mentality, etc.. Really, it's more like "hand-out-ism" - but I can't quite imagine that will catch on!