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.

Media Repression in Mexico: Why Mexico is the Deadliest Country to be a Journalist

Nov 22, 2023 | University of Memphis

Media repression threatens the civil liberties of the public and journalists. Freedom of the press is an important right that should be protected for anyone seeking a career...

Gridlock From Polarization: The Current State of the United States Government

Nov 22, 2023 | Northeastern University

What is gridlock and polarization? Political theorist, Jennifer McCoy, defines polarization as, “a process whereby the normal multiplicity of differences in a society...

Why Democracy Was Abandoned Amidst a Civil Crisis in Burkina Faso

Feb 14, 2022 | Boston University

On January 24th, 2022, the army of Burkina Faso successfully waged a coup against their government and took control of the country. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the...

To Burn or To Save: The Trump Administration’s Mishandling of Presidential Records

Feb 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

After one of the most divisive and polemical presidencies in modern history, it is crucial that the American people have access to the records and decision-making processes of the Trump...

Internal Authoritarianism in the Republican Party Has Implications for American Democracy

Feb 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

The Republican National Convention’s censure of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their participation in the congressional committee investigating the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol...

The Filibuster: How a Centuries-Old Loophole is Damaging Democracy

Feb 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

White supremacists, homophobic zealots, and other discriminatory, anti-democratic ideologues have a powerful tool in the American Senate. That tool is the filibuster. The filibuster allows a...

The US Electoral Count Act: An Avenue for Authoritarianism

Feb 13, 2022 | Ohio State University

“Congress shall be in session on the sixth day of January succeeding every meeting of the electors” - Electoral Count Act The Electoral Count Act Most Americans know about the January 6th...

The Erosion of Electoral Freedom in the United States

Feb 13, 2022 | Boston University

Many saw Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election as a light at the end of a four year long tunnel of anti-democratic behaviors and rampant populism. As Joe Biden and his administration took over,...

No Longer Black and White and Read All Over: How the Disappearance of America’s Local News Threatens Our Democracy

Feb 13, 2022 | Ohio State University

Thousands of local newspapers have disappeared across the United States over the past 15 years. Half of U.S. counties have only one local paper — and some have none at all. This decline of local...

Chinese Spies and the “China Initiative”: How Protection From Foreign Threats Can Harm Our Democracy

Feb 12, 2022 | Ohio State University

On January 20th of this year, the Justice Department dropped all of its charges against Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Gang Chen, conceding that their evidence no longer met the...

Death of the Filibuster and What it Means for Democracy in America

Feb 12, 2022 | Ohio State University

United States Senate Floor While democracy in the United States has never been perfect, it has been a model for the rest of the world. Yet, lately, it seems like there may be reason to worry about...