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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Democratic Erosion in Chile (1963-1975)

Chile between the period of 1964 and 1975 represents a great example of how democracy can be eroded through both internal failure, but mainly through the planned efforts of global superpowers. This blog argues that democratic erosion and the eventual collapse in Chile...

Two Presidents Walk into a Room: Daniel Noboa and Donald Trump’s Relationship

Exploring President Noboa and Donald Trump’s relationship through a framework of democratic erosion via militarization in Ecuador.

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

The U.S. & Cuba: Presidentialism Unchecked

May 14, 2025 | James Madison University

In Thomas Pepinsky's intriguing essay, “America Is a Normal Country: Presidentialism Can Break It, Exceptionalism Won’t Save It,” he challenges American exceptionalism with...

Authoritarianism in Singapore: Challenging Narratives of a Benevolent British Empire

May 14, 2025 | James Madison University

Britons are feeling nostalgic for empire. In response to a 2019 YouGov survey asking Britons to indicate whether countries that were formerly colonized by Britain were...

Soft Social Credit

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

The arrival and integration of technology into political life seem to herald a great advance for the democratization of regions once thought perpetually locked in authoritarian systems, whether...

Is Populism on Its Way Out of Europe?

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

Emerging evidence shows that populist support in Europe may be waning. A YouGov survey found that fewer people agree with targeted statements meant to measure populist beliefs [1]. Populism,...

Trudeau’s Shutdown of the Trucker Protests Protected Democracy

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers in Canada in order to shut down protests. The protests were started by a group of truckers who were against the cross-border vaccine...

The Global Echo of Viktor Orbán’s Populist Cries

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

On January 3, former U.S. president Donald Trump offered, via his Save America political action committee, an endorsement of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the 2022 parliamentary...

What Does the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Mean for Belarus?

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

Belarus is widely regarded as an authoritarian state, headed by President Alexander Lukashenko. His most recent, fraudulent reelection in 2020 inspired unprecedented pro-democracy protests, leading...

The Death of Torres and Democracy in Nicaragua

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

Last week Hugo Torres Jimenez, a Nicaraguan ex-rebel leader, retired army general, and outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega died from illness in prison eight months after being detained on...

Identity Politics Influence Supreme Court Nomination

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

In a letter to President Biden last month, United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intentions to step down and retire at the end of his term. His retirement leaves an open...

Why Democracy Supporters Should Be Concerned with the Alabama Redistricting Decision

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

On February 7, 2022, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that a potentially illegal congressional map of Alabama may be used in the upcoming 2022 election. Critics of this decision point out...

Problems Are Better Seen from the Outside: Three Reasons Why it Is Unfair to Blame Populations for Unintentionally Supporting Would-Be Autocrats

Feb 26, 2022 | University of Chicago

It is common for people to look at the destruction of foreign nations’ democratic institutions with confusion. They wonder how anyone could sit back and allow their government to be destroyed, or...