This chapter analyses the third characteristic of Roman political culture, the tension between solemnity and self-conscious reflexivity. It does so on the basis of two letters of Pliny the Younger about jokes that were made during senatorial elections. From his letters it emerges that campaigns for office continued to matter immensely for senators, despite the fact that the balance of power had shifted with the advent of single rule. During the elections the emperor was inserted at the top of the existing hierarchical elite network, rather than that his power was presented as external and inimical to that of the senate. It positioned the emperor in a role of guardian and protector of senatorial values, but at the same time left the senate’s functioning intact. The meaning of the elections should be primarily sought in their social function: they offered the elite a stage for the reaffirmation of their position, both individually vis-à-vis their peers, and collectively to the rest of the populace. Campaigns were a competition about reputation, but this competition would involve a wider group than the candidates alone: it was as much about the position of their high-ranking supporters. In the process, all participants lost much of what constituted their personal characteristics. Given the emphasis on reputation and stability, senators increasingly positioned themselves primarily as senators, rather than as individuals. The corollary was that self-reflective humour should find no place within the curia.
Economic Voting Theory in the Philippines
