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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

From Populism to Restoration: Ecuador’s Political (R)evolution

Jan 2, 2024 | University of Pennsylvania

In recent years, Ecuador has witnessed a complex interplay between democracy and the rise of populism, a phenomenon that has captured the attention of political analysts and...

Reserve Building Area Law in the Autocratic Presidential System Türkiye

Dec 26, 2023 | Sabanci University

After the constitutional referendum in 2017 Turkey, the state started a new era of its democratic history. In 2017 Turkey held a referendum and according to that referendum...

Donald Trump, King of the Populists – Reigning from Florida

Feb 18, 2022 | Boston University

Former President Donald Trump has been called a populist ever since the American population, news outlets, and politicians in Washington started taking his campaign seriously back in 2016. After...

The Gerrymandering Problem

Feb 18, 2022 | Boston University

Every ten years, every state redraws its electoral maps which determines where the electoral districts will be for the next ten years. In many states, it also determines what politician will...

Hungarian Democratic Backsliding During COVID-19

Feb 18, 2022 | Boston University

Viktor Orbán’s Hungary has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism since he and his party came to power in 2010. Humanitarian watchdogs, scholars, other states, and the EU have criticized his...

Why BIPOC Are on the Frontlines in the Fight Against Emerging American Authoritarianism

Feb 17, 2022 | Boston University

On June 1st, 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump made the news once again as reports broke out of BLM protesters being violently...

January 6, 2021 and Democratic Erosion in America

Feb 17, 2022 | Boston University

The riot of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 was an unprecedented event in American history. That afternoon, thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol...

Poland’s Judicial Reform and Its Impacts on the Democratic Stability of Poland and EU’s Member States

Feb 16, 2022 | Boston University

"The clash between Warsaw’s supreme court and nationalist-populist government is a crisis not just for Poland, but for the whole EU. If the 28-nation bloc cannot enforce fundamental values such as...

Does the U.S. Congress Have America’s Best Interests in Mind?

Feb 16, 2022 | Boston University

The past two years of American politics have been defined by unprecedented, bizarre events such as the Capitol riots of January 6th, the rocky Presidential election of Joe Biden over Donald Trump,...

What’s Left of Poland’s Democracy?

Feb 16, 2022 | Boston University

Poland was once the model nation of a communist country fallen apart and in shambles that then came together to become a prosperous democratic country, but now Poland’s democracy is crumbling. The...

Is Australia’s Democracy as Strong as Once Believed?

Feb 16, 2022 | Boston University

Australia has long been viewed in the political world as a relatively stable democracy. In the face of the extreme partisanship that has characterised America’s political landscape over recent...