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.

Democracy Backsliding and Myanmar Migrants in Thailand

Oct 23, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Myanmar experience long lasting civil war and many people escape to the neighboring countries to find safety life and seek to refuges. According to the International Labor...

What the Exodus of Election Officials Means for Democratic Erosion

Oct 22, 2023 | University of Pennsylvania

Amid growing violent threats and increasing administrative burdens, a surge in resignations among local election officials signals trouble for U.S. democracy. In the...

Eating Away Ghana’s Democracy

Oct 12, 2021 | University of Georgia

Since taking office in 2017, president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has demonstrated a pattern of heavy-handedness, authoritarianism, and privilege that contradicts his carefully crafted global image...

Could Former President Trump’s Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election Be a Sign That the United States’ Democracy Is Eroding?

Oct 12, 2021 | University of Georgia

In November of 2020, after a long, drawn out election, it was announced that former Vice President Joe Biden (D) had won the presidential election, beating out his opponent Former President Donald...

Lack of Horizontal Accountability After U.S. Capitol Invasion: A Dangerous Signifier of Democratic Erosion

Oct 11, 2021 | University of Georgia

Horizontal accountability among the branches of government is essential to healthy democracy, and this area of government accountability was threatened after the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January...

Chile’s Constitutional Convention: A Push for Better Democracy, or a Step to Chaotic Decline?

Oct 10, 2021 | University of Georgia

The state of Chile is at a crossroads: one path promising liberal democracy and the other to potential socialism. The choice is up to the Constitutional Convention, an...

New Election Audits Weaken Democracy

Oct 8, 2021 | Salem State University

Efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election are still underway, almost a full year after the election. Politicians in Republican states have now taken to subpoenaing voter...

The Erosion of Israel’s Democracy

Sep 30, 2021 | University of Georgia

It would not be considered a surprise to many that the state of Israel, also known as the occupied territories of Palestine, displays several characteristics of a government threatened by factors of...

Orbán and His War Against Academic Freedom

Jul 1, 2021 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Academic freedom is a basic concept as well as a guiding principle in higher education. However, democratic governments, such as in Hungary, have taken a number of punitive moves against academics...

Decades of Fragile Democracy: What’s in it for Myanmar?

Jun 30, 2021 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

The military coup that occurred in Myanmar last February 1, 2021, sparked new tensions between the pro-democracy protesters and the state’s military regime. It was a resurrection of an Army-state...

The Millennial Dictator: Creeping Autocracy in El Salvador

Jun 29, 2021 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Two years after winning the presidential election, Nayib Bukele, the current President of El Salvador became popular in Latin America for being the “Social Media President”. As a typical...