Humor and satire in politics: Introducing cultural sociology to the field

The landscape of political humor and satire is changing rapidly, and it is becoming an increasingly relevant aspect of our culture. Although scholars have been actively trying to capture this change, majority of the existing frameworks for understanding humor and satire in politics still reduce these phenomena to mere genres or rhetoric tools. In addition, they provide insufficient accounts concerning the reception of humor and satire, and neglect to interpret and explain what they communicate. In the article, a general understanding of humor and satire outside of a political context, followed by an overview of studies discussing humor and satire in politics through their applications in social movements, as leadership tools, and through their manifestations in mass media has been presented. Lastly, a cultural sociological perspective to the field has been introduced. It has been argued that approaching humor and satire in politics through a structural hermeneutic method of the Strong Program will enable us to recognize and treat political humor and satire as autonomous and complex cultural systems which carry an internal power to move people.     

Voluntary affiliation to Peru's individual accounts pension system

One important aspect in the design of social protection is coverage. In Peru, as in most Latin American countries, social security coverage is mandatory only for workers in the formal sector. This article investigates the determinants of voluntary affiliation to Peru's individual accounts pension system. It is found that married males with more than high-school level education living in high income households and with other family members already affiliated to the individual accounts pension system have a higher likelihood of voluntary affiliation. Although the results suggest that family-based safety nets might be substitutes for voluntary participation in the individual accounts pension system, nonetheless, extending pension coverage and addressing poverty remain as challenges for government involvement.