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.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

May 7, 2025 | Featured, University of the Philippines, Diliman

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have...

MAGA Meritocracy and Populist Ironies: Eroding Democracy from Within?

May 6, 2025 | Tulane University

The MAGA movement’s embrace of “meritocracy,” often wielded against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, reveals a profound and damaging contradiction at the...

The Electoral Rule-Bending Enabling Viktor Orbán’s Quest for a United Hungary

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

A few weeks ago, I received the letter pictured above from Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán in my mailbox. “Dear citizen! I write to you today because Hungary has a parliamentary election next...

Can Authoritarian Leaders Appropriate Democratic Interventions?

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In 2020 Alexander Lukashenko “won” yet another term in what is widely considered an unfree election. Domestic protests quickly followed and were repressed in a harsh fashion by the regime....

Expanding Non-Citizen Voice via Vote

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In the US, a significant population of the governed are not citizens in the eyes of the law. As repeatedly demonstrated during Trump era politics, this population of non-citizens are subjected to...

How Russian Presence in Venezuela Signals Democratic Erosion

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In what seems to be a Cold-War era tactic, Russia has once again attempted to assert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere. On Jan. 13, a senior Russian official threatened the deployment of...

India: Shifting Political Party Loyalties of Politicians

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In the United States, and many other western countries with the two-party system, the two major political parties operate on the basis of discernibly disparate political ideologies. However,...

Joe Biden Against the Filibuster and Voting Rights in the States

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

Last month, US President Joe Biden voiced his desire to do away with the filibuster rule in the Senate after his plans to push the Democrat Party’s Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Rights Advancement...

Wisconsin is a Masterclass in Stealth Authoritarianism

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Following a worrying trend of anti-democratic actions taken by Wisconsin's Republican politicians, in November of 2021, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson called for a unilateral takeover of the state’s...

Saudi Arabia’s Courts Dilemma

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

In 2017, Princess Basmah bint Saud was arrested and subsequently detained by the Saudi Arabian government without charge or trial. She was recently released on January 6, 2022. Princess Basmah’s...

January 6th Riots Unfold Further Chaos

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Since the January 6th riots of 2021, the United States government has been up in arms about how to handle the fates of those who took part in the riots. These riots were brought to fruition through...