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.

Politics and Populism Brazil: Increasing Polarization

Populism has played an important role in the shaping of Brazilian politics over the past century. An approach that pits "the people" against "the elite," populism thrives under conditions of economic uncertainty, political distrust, and social inequality, which have...

Democracy for Sale: How a Chinese National Briefly Became a Mayor in the Philippines

In 2024, the integrity of Philippine democracy was called into question as evidence revealed that a local municipality had unknowingly elected a Chinese national as Mayor, following reports of illegal activities in her jurisdiction.

The fire from within: American Democracy is dying?

” There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide” - James Adams. If the average empire fails at 250 years and America is 248 years old, could we say that the death of democracy was something foreseeable and the uprise in authoritarian form of...

Dangers to Freedom of the Press: October 3rd NewsClick Raid

Dec 7, 2023 | Boston University

By: Mika George PO 333 On October 3rd, New Delhi police raided the homes of journalists working for the news website, NewsClick, an outlet that had been critical of Prime...

Fall of democratic dreams in Hong Kong

Dec 5, 2023 | Salem State University

The date is May 23rd, 2023, and the dreams of a democratic future for the citizens of Hong Kong is one step closer to ending. The Civic Party of Hong Kong disbanded due to...

The Real Terrorist Threat Isn’t Who We Think It Is

Nov 24, 2021 | University of Utah

Italian Democracy: The Blueprint for Trumpism, I mean Populism…

Nov 23, 2021 | Georgia State University

Democracy can be hard sometimes. The Us Vs. Them divide deepens in democracies around the world with every populist that finds a way to magnify their voice. How did we get here? Your bran likely...

The Opioid Crisis: A Symptom of Systemic Inefficiency

Nov 19, 2021 | Suffolk University

The United States is facing two catastrophic challenges simultaneously, a pandemic, and a forgotten but long-present epidemic, the US opioid crisis. While talk of opioids and overdoses is not new to...

Gerrymandering Threatens Democracy

Nov 17, 2021 | Salem State University

With the midterm elections a year away, battles over redistricting are happening all over the United States, including in Texas. There, Republicans have forged their political agendas through...

Redistricting: Killing Democratic Processes

Nov 9, 2021 | University of Georgia

Redistricting determines the extent of a party’s hold on a state’s political power for an entire decade. Sometimes, the politicians that are responsible for updating the district maps every decade...

America’s Border Crisis vs. Haiti

Nov 6, 2021 | Suffolk University

On various media platforms, there has been videos and photos circulating of Border Patrol agents on horseback clashing with Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas on September 19th, 2021. This caused...

Evictions Mean Losing More Than a Home

Oct 25, 2021 | Suffolk University

In the age of Covid-19, evictions are on the rise as many Americans struggle to make ends meet; but Massachusetts housing equality advocates say the eviction crisis goes deeper than housing. On...

Politics Has Become Less Issue-Focused at Every Level of Government

Oct 25, 2021 | Suffolk University

Politics is becoming less about the issues at every level of government. This past presidential election and recent administrations has United States voters up in arms over who implemented what...

Social Media Counts as Political Participation

Oct 24, 2021 | Suffolk University

For most of us, the internet drives our daily lives, and now, that includes our political participation. At any given time, we are a few clicks away from engaging with fellow constituents and...