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.

At What Point Does Protecting Democracy Become Undemocratic?

The classical understanding of democracy rests on the abstract concept of the “common good” and the idea that people elect representatives to carry out their collective will, a conception Schumpeter famously critiqued. While scholars tend to differ in the principles...

Social Media is Bad for American Democracy

Social media hurts American Democracy. As Waldner and Lust describe, democracy relies on two forms of accountability to function. One is vertical accountability, meaning that citizens can hold officials accountable through elections, which pressures representatives to...

States of Exception: The Successful Rejection of Executive Overreach in Chile

After storming to the presidency in the 2025 presidential elections,[1] Chilean President José Antonio Kast has wasted no time attempting to enact his campaign agenda. In August, the President presented the Chilean Congress with a reform to address organized crime and...

The Inner Asian Anomaly: How Democracy Works Without Prerequisites?

Oct 19, 2026 | George Mason University

When you look at the map, Mongolia is positioned at the heart of the Eurasian continent—a location that catches your eye, yet seems a difficult geopolitical position for...

Is Polyarchy Ever Finished? The Czech Republic’s Battle Against Democratic Erosion

Oct 19, 2026 | George Mason University

Polyarchy doesn’t mean democratization is done. To sustain Polyarchy it needs continuous civic engagement. History and the World Wars were rarely on Czechoslovakia’s side....

The Republicans’ Midterm Campaign is about Legitimacy, Not Rules

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Since early 2025, the Justice Department has filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ voter data, in an effort to obtain voter rolls containing sensitive information about registered voters in their...

The White House Press Ban Shows What Happens When Forbearance Fails

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University, Universities

On September 18, President Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Within a week, federal judge Timothy Kelly replied with an order restoring those news outlets'...

Borrowed Tools: Can Hungary Rebuild Its Democracy With Orbán’s Playbook?

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

In 2011, Viktor Orbán’s government cleared hundreds of judges from Hungary’s courts by suddenly lowering their retirement age. Fifteen years later the same strategy was utilized against his own...

Neg Bannan Nan (Banana Man) to Barbecue : A Democracy in Free Fall

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

On July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his home, and the suspects and conspiracy theories surrounding the attack have fallen on political opponents, his own wife,...

How Free Are American Elections? Democratic Erosion in the 2026 Election Cycle

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

I spent my summer working on a campaign, doing community outreach and speaking with constituents from a range of backgrounds. One concern that repeatedly came up was voting. Following the widespread...

What Trump’s Attempted Pocket Rescissions Mean for the Future of Forbearance, and Education

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Beginning most overtly in 2025, with the Trump administration’s punitive freezing of Harvard University’s federal grants, the American education system has been a continuous target of federal...

Is America Resisting?

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

On September 19th, journalists from CNN, MSNOW, and Politico, members of the White House TV pool, had their badges confiscated and were barred from entering the grounds. President Trump announced a...

Mexico Holds Elections. Cartels Hold the Veto.

Sep 22, 2026 | George Mason University, Universities

On April 1, 2024, Bertha Gisela Gaytán stood at a campaign rally in Celaya, a city in Guanajuato that's been torn apart by a cartel turf war. She was running for mayor, promising to fix the roads...

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear

Sep 11, 2026 | Suffolk University

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear By Fotios E. Meimeteas Imagine you are a single mother in the United States, raising four children who depend on you. You have established a new...