not only in Italy....just more obvious :)

Hi John, I generally translate assistenziale, as welfare. As for "clientelare" the word goes back over 2000 years, but little has changed.
Given the context you cite, I should go for something strong and universal. I think only Americans will have a clear picture of "cronyism", which isn't quite the same thing. Of course if you want a word that "approves" and says the same thing, then you risk being misunderstood by those cultures that don't have a word for this.

Personally I remember being offered a job, asked who I voted for and then having the offer refused after I answered. It was a government owned company and I have only one word for it in English that I clearly understand. In Italian it was "clientelismo".

Although lobby does not have the same negative undertone as it does in Italian, it is generally lobbies who engender and nurture a clientelare system: lobbies in itself are - say - neutral, but if unchecked they easily turn into a clientelare system. One option could be "dysfunctional/corrupt lobbyist welfare system"