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.

Fighting Fake News: Lessons from the World’s Top Target

2018 was a year of awakening in Taiwan. Two high-profile events threw the consequences of fake news into relief. First, Su Chii-cherng, the envoy to Osaka for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, took his own life in September 2018 after false reports about him...

Can Democracies Wait Another 2,500 Years to Meet Today’s Needs?

In 500 BC, during Athens' golden age of democracy, the voting age was set at 18. Over 2,500 years later, this threshold remains the same in the vast majority (90%) of countries. However, as democracies grapple with rising populism, authoritarianism, marginalization of...

Présidence Impériale: Executive Aggrandizement in Macron’s France

Amidst significant challenges to France’s democracy, President Emmanuel Macron has ignored democratic norms and abused constitutional articles to expand his own power—periling France’s democracy.

The Unraveling of Bulgarian Democracy

Ohio State University

Bulgaria saw massive protests in 2020 against Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his administration. These demonstrated the democratic backsliding that had been occurring...

Honduras: How Populism Lead to the Removal of the Extradition Treaty

Ohio State University

Honduras has struggled with gang violence and, therefore, drug trafficking since the fall of Dictator-Military Leader Rafael López Gutiérrez from 1924. To this day, Honduras...

Do Americans’ views on identity increase the risk of democratic erosion in the United States?

William Jewell College

“Our democracy is at stake” might as well become the official tagline for all U.S. elections. The threats of authoritarianism and democratic erosion seem to always be leering around the corner, and...

Poland’s Democratic Paradox: The Remarkable Path Toward (and Away?) from Democratic Erosion

William Jewell College

For any country, democratic backsliding can happen suddenly and, seemingly, unpredictably. The case for Poland, however, demonstrates predictors of erosion unseen anywhere else. These unique signs...

Can an Earthquake Threaten the Non-Democratic Reign of Morocco’s King?

Ursinus College

The wealthiest man in Morocco has little interest in abdicating his throne. He has barely any interest in spending his time in the land that he rules, either – former officials claim he was out of...

The Lack of Humanitarian Aid in Haiti

Ursinus College

Haiti is currently facing a political and social crisis. The rest of the world has fallen silent in terms of providing necessary aid and military action to help the victims of Haiti. Haiti is a...

Corruption, Economics, and Catastrophe: Democratic Erosion in Brazil

William Jewell College

Today in Brazil, corruption charges could undermine democracy. While the democracy holds competitive elections and sits on a 72% "free" scale, the country holds high when it comes to polarization,...

Orbán and Trump: Faces of Dying Democracies.

Ursinus College

Donald Trump has been compared to a lot throughout his mediocre rise into politics. Even during the infancy of his 2016 election, Trump was being compared to dictators, tyrants, and demagogues...

Brazil’s Political Maze: Navigating Turbulence and Corruption

Ursinus College

In recent years, Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has found himself under heightened scrutiny due to ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption. These investigations, which...

Planting Roots in Shifting Sands: Weak Parties and the Quest for Democratic Consolidation in the Philippines

University of the Philippines, Diliman

No other comparison on Philippine politicians is as aesthetically pleasing as being called “butterflies”. This is not to say they are graceful or resilient, but rather that they switch parties as...

The Crisis in South Sudan

Ursinus College

South Sudan is currently a failing democracy. After South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on July 9th, 2011, they have been experiencing a shaky consolidation of democracy. I believe this is...

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