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...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

When Saving Democracy Looks Like Killing It: Romania’s Election Crisis and the Paradox of Militant Democracy

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

In December 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court did something almost without precedent in modern European history: it annulled the first round of a presidential election 48...

How the Supreme Court’s Immunity Ruling Impacts American Democracy

Apr 30, 2026 | Suffolk University

In July 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office. In...

Ignoring the Referee: Court Defiance and America’s Last Guardrail

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University, Universities

Democracies don’t usually die in a single dramatic moment. They erode quietly and gradually, through a thousand small surrenders. But occasionally, a government does something so blunt that it...

The Democratic Unraveling of Hungary

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University

Economic development alone is insufficient to ensure democratic survival : Tunisia’s case (According to Lipset, Przeworski)

Apr 19, 2026 | George Mason University

Tunisia shows that ‘economic development alone’ is insufficient to ensure democratic survival- as political institutions and leadership play a critical role. Tunisia was once considered a successful...

Military-Made Sinkholes: The Constitutional Court and the Collapse of Thai Democracy

Apr 19, 2026 | George Mason University

13 and 9. These numbers are of coups d’état that happened in Thailand since adopting the constitutional monarchy in 1932: 13 were successful, and 9 were unsuccessful. Democracy and the political...

The Permanent Campaign: Why Populist Leaders Can Never Stop Fighting the System

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University

Imagine winning the most powerful office in the world and still governing like you're the underdog. That's the paradox at the center of modern populism and it isn't accidental. With Donald Trump's...

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

Apr 18, 2026 | Boston University

The upcoming 2026 midterm elections are being framed as a referendum on the current executive agenda. But to view them merely though the lens of policy preference is to miss the deeper structural...

The loss of trust in the MAGA movement by young conservatives

Apr 18, 2026 | Salem State University

According to several news outlets, the March 25-28 Conservative Political Action Conference, more commonly known as CPAC, was poorly attended by the younger conservatives who had come in large...

Why Peaceful Protesting Won’t Save American Democracy Anytime Soon

Apr 18, 2026 | Boston University

On March 28, 2026, hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets under the “No Kings” banner in protest of the current Trump Administration. The crowds were incredibly peaceful, and the...

When Openness Meets Reality: Immigration and Change in Sweden

Apr 18, 2026 | George Mason University

Sweden has long been seen as one of the most open and humanitarian countries in Europe. For many years, it accepted many refugees and immigrants, especially during the crisis caused by the Syrian...