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.

Voters Behind Bars: How Felon Disenfranchisement Weakens American Democracy

Apr 30, 2023 | University of Utah

The disenfranchisement of felons is paving the way for America’s democratic backsliding. Repealing these undemocratic laws will help to reinvigorate the American...

Leveraging External Issues to Support Democracy: How the Fight for Abortion Rights Protected Democracy in Wisconsin

Apr 28, 2023 | University of Utah

In 2010, Republicans won a series of state legislative races in Wisconsin which allowed for them to redraw district lines to their own advantage; this strategy cemented...

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

While President Trump has been defeated, populism still poses a potent threat to our democracy. Trump is a right-wing populist. Müller defines populism as “a way of perceiving the political world...

Polarization Is Killing Democracy in the United States, Although There Is Hope

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

On November 7th 2020, Joe Biden was declared 46th president of the United States. The election saw a record turnout rate of over 65%, amounting to over 160 million Americans. In the hours that...

QAnon and America’s Problem with Polarization and Disinformation

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

Signs from a Trump Rally; photo by Al Drago of the New York Times In early December of 2016, a gunman opened fire in a D.C. restaurant, under the belief that children were being held in its basement...

Peru’s Last Chance at Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

With three presidents in one week, and a history of political corruption, can Peru’s fragile democracy stay afloat? In a recent unfolding of events, Peru’s citizens have taken to the streets in...

Chileans Protest for a New Constitution

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

From the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States to the Ni Una Menos collective based in Argentina, protests against neoliberal policies and states have increased in the past decades. As...

Authoritarianism and Donald Trump

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

President of China, Xi Jinping, in a recent speech to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), announced that China plans on opening a “super-sized” economy. The APEC forum also includes...

Court-Packing: Proposals to Erode Constitutional Order and Endanger U.S. Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Georgia State University

The idea of court packing insinuates that democratic erosion is underway. Courts often operate as guardrails to democracy but once they are overtaken by anti-system parties, they serve as effective...

Symptomatic: Argentina Is Infected With Threats to Its Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

The stability of Argentinian democracy is under threat. Multiple precursors to democratic erosion are present, including ongoing threats to both vertical and horizontal accountability exemplified by...

Ways of Discussing Politics

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

Are there better ways to engage in politics? How did the United States respond to the results of the 2020 Presidential Election? In this blog post, I talk about the importance of discussing politics...