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.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

A Continent in Contrast: Mapping Political Polarization in Africa

Apr 15, 2024 | William Jewell College

Political polarization stereotypically holds a negative connotation, especially within an entire country. However, when we hold a conversation about an entire continent,...

The Perception Gap in the United States and How it Causes Polarization

Apr 14, 2024 | Georgia State University

The United States has faced increasing polarization in its politics in the past few decades. Politics has become more emotionally charged, which is known as affective...

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...