Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

South Africa’s Democracy: Why Gradual Institutional Weakening and Public Distrust Matter

Democracy doesn't necessarily die suddenly. A country can continue to have elections, courts, political parties, and freedom of speech, but its democracy could gradually erode. I think South Africa is a great example of that. South Africa remains a democracy but...

Venezuela Still Had Elections. So, What Happened to Democracy?

Venezuela and Democratic Erosion When people imagine a democracy turning authoritarian, they often picture a military coup or a leader suddenly canceling elections. Venezuela shows that democratic decline can happen much more slowly. Elections, courts, legislatures,...

Bread in a Backsliding Circus? Broken Distributive Promises Fueling Indonesia’s Student Protests

Indonesia has long maintained a fragile relationship with democracy, teetering between dictatorship under Suharto until 1998, to becoming one of Asia’s most celebrated democratic success stories in the 2000s, and now again slowly backsliding towards authoritarianism...

This Election Could be the End of Israel’s Rule of Law

Nov 13, 2026 | Brown University

For the past four years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing allies have waged war against an Israeli Supreme Court that they see as a left-wing obstacle to...

Defining Namibia’s Democracy. Stop Overreacting

Nov 13, 2026 | Brown University

Introduction Namibia’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections faced difficulties. Confronted with voting stations bereft of physical ballots, overheating electric...

At What Point Does Protecting Democracy Become Undemocratic?

Oct 23, 2026 | Brown University

The classical understanding of democracy rests on the abstract concept of the “common good” and the idea that people elect representatives to carry out their collective will, a conception Schumpeter...

States of Exception: The Successful Rejection of Executive Overreach in Chile

Oct 23, 2026 | Brown University

After storming to the presidency in the 2025 presidential elections,[1] Chilean President José Antonio Kast has wasted no time attempting to enact his campaign agenda. In August, the President...

130 Million Names: How Mass Revisions by India’s Election Commission are an Important Contribution to the Country’s Democratic Backsliding

Oct 23, 2026 | Brown University

“India has always been a flawed democracy but at least citizens felt they had the right to vote and that elections were regular and fair,” said Sen. “SIR has taken away that right. From how it has...

AI and Democracy in Brazil: Where to Draw the Line?

Oct 23, 2026 | Brown University

How Trump’s Isolationist Foreign Policy Is Weakening International Checks on Democracy: Why the 2026 Midterm Elections Matter

Oct 23, 2026 | Brown University

President Trump’s isolationist foreign policy has decreased international interventions, but the U.S. midterm election serves as an opportunity for American voters to show the international...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

South Africa’s Democracy: Why Gradual Institutional Weakening and Public Distrust Matter

Venezuela Still Had Elections. So, What Happened to Democracy?

Bread in a Backsliding Circus? Broken Distributive Promises Fueling Indonesia’s Student Protests

This Election Could be the End of Israel’s Rule of Law

Defining Namibia’s Democracy. Stop Overreacting

At What Point Does Protecting Democracy Become Undemocratic?

States of Exception: The Successful Rejection of Executive Overreach in Chile

130 Million Names: How Mass Revisions by India’s Election Commission are an Important Contribution to the Country’s Democratic Backsliding

AI and Democracy in Brazil: Where to Draw the Line?

How Trump’s Isolationist Foreign Policy Is Weakening International Checks on Democracy: Why the 2026 Midterm Elections Matter

Implosion by Design: The Fragmenting of Turkey’s Opposition and Why It’s So Dangerous

Student Union Crackdowns: How We’re Losing A Generation of Student Organizers in Hong Kong

Super PACs vs. Civil Society: How Abdul El-Sayed’s Campaign Is Bringing Back Grassroots Politics

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