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.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

Border Politics and the Expansion of Executive Power

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Immigration has remained one of the most politically charged issues in the United States. Over the past year, debates over border enforcement, asylum restrictions, and...

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DOGE and the Mask of “Reform”: Stealth Authoritarianism in Action Once Again

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In early 2025, President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his specialized advisory initiative led by Elon Musk and...

Ohio Continues To Have a Districting Issue

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

As of 2022, the state of Ohio has yet to fix its gerrymandering issue. With the new census results showing clear drops in Ohio’s population, the state has lost a district and must therefore...

Is Democracy in the United States Backsliding?

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

In recent years the state of democracy, even in the United States, has been questioned and even described as democratically backsliding. This seems to be a scary thought for a country which prides...

National Security v. Civil Liberties – Government Surveillance and the Concerning Power of the State Secrets Privilege

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the United States government adopted extensive surveillance measures in the hopes of preventing further tragedies. Over time, these measures...

Unfair Elections: A Breach of Freedom

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

The concept of free and fair elections, one of the hallmarks of a functioning democracy, seems to be slipping away in the United States. While Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud in the 2020...

Trump’s Schedule F Is a Threat to Democracy

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

And you thought Trump’s 92% adviser turnover rate was bad? Former President Donald Trump has committed, upon reelection, to legally reclassify thousands of federal jobs to facilitate mass firings....

The United States Supreme Court, Constitutional Retrogression, and Stealth Authoritarianism

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

Consensus and uniform use of political norms by major actors in all branches of government is key to democratic survival. If our nation’s executives, legislators, and judges all simultaneously...

Why Democrats Spending Millions to Support Far-Right Candidates is Dangerous for American Democracy

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

A week before the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, Doug Mastriano prayed with Christian Nationalists for Donald Trump to seize power. Why then did he receive funding from Democrats in this...

How Did We Get to January 6th?

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

January 6th was a complete disregard for democratic institutions and processes, but how did we reach that point? How did so many United States citizens get to the point where they believed that they...

Drawing Lines: Redistricting and Democratic Backslide in Ohio

Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University

Manipulation of electoral districts has been a tool of American politics since at least the early 1800s. In today’s America, this strategy is as prevalent, or perhaps more so, as it ever was. Since...