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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Democratic erosion in Ecuador

Second Blog post On March 6, 2026, Ecuador’s electoral courts ordered the suspension of the country's largest left leaning opposition party, Revolucion Ciudadana (Citizen’s revolution). The party, recognized as the primary opposition of Noboa's right-leaning National...

Pernicious Polarization and the Failure of Resistance in El Salvador

The current state of democracy in El Salvador emphasizes how pernicious polarization destroys the possibility of effective resistance to democratic backsliding, as theorized by McCoy, Rahman, and Somer in "Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy." Bukele's...

How Democracy Erodes: A Comparison between the U.S. and Brazil

Both the United States under President Trump and Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro experienced a period of anti-democratic rhetoric. That led to the decline of significant indicators of stable democratic regimes. Among these indicators are election intimidation, attacks on...

Beneath the Surface: The Political Crisis in Greece

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University, Uncategorized

How did the birthplace of democracy become a system shaped by political dynasties and corruption? Today, Greece still appears to be a democracy, but beneath the surface, its...

Is Democracy Enough? Social Hierarchy and the Limits of Democracy in India

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

In most cases, India is described as the largest democracy in the world. Nonetheless, the mere size of the population is not always a criterion for quality. India holds...

Is Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Actually Keeping Us Safe?

Mar 31, 2026 | Suffolk University

Voter fraud in the United States is almost nonexistent, with very little evidence suggesting that noncitizens are the ones committing it, if it does happen. Audits and research have repeatedly found...

Modern Gerrymandering and Its Damaging Effects on U.S. Electoral Democracy

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

Introduction Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral maps to favor one political party over another. When redrawing maps, the party in power will use two strategies: packing and...

Confusion and Control: New Voting Laws Weakening Democracy in America

Mar 30, 2026 | Uncategorized, University of Houston

A core component of democracy is representation through free and fair elections. Free and fair can be defined by who qualifies to vote and then by the actual ability of that group to vote. The SAVE...

Hollowing out the State: DOGE and the Administrative Erosion of American Democracy

Mar 30, 2026 | Suffolk University, Universities

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a body embedded within the existing U.S. Digital Service and led by tech...

Look at What They Took From You: MAGA Polarization Through Social Media

Mar 30, 2026 | Arizona State University

The official White House X account sits at over four million followers. Created in January of 2025, the social media page’s bio reads: “The Golden Age of America Begins Now.” Like many other...

From Secularism to Islamic Authority: Democratic Backsliding in Bangladesh

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

Democratic backsliding is often characterized by institutional weakness or polarizing incumbents, but what about the topic of backsliding due to religious proliferation? In countries like India,...

From Left to Right-Wing Populism: Can Argentina Survive Another Movement?

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

In November 2023, self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei won the Argentinian presidency. His campaign ran on the promise of dismantling the existing political establishment that many...

Timor Leste: The Paradox of Democratic Fragility

Mar 30, 2026 | Arizona State University

Although Timor-Leste is often seen as a success in democracy in Southeast Asia, it still has deep-rooted structural issues that cause worries about a decline in democratic practices. Although the...

The United States of Stealth Authoritarianism

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

Are we really doing this? “America will continue our leadership in defense of human dignity, in defense of rules and norms, and in defense of freedom and liberty. There is too much at stake to do...