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.

Hungary’s 2024 Protests and Elections: Populism VS Oligarchy

Intro In the last two years, Hungary has seen an influx of worker-led protests, even as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained tight control over politics and the media. From 2023 to 2024, teachers and union members took to the streets of Hungary to oppose...

Corruption vs. The Fight for Democratic Resilience: The Threat of Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal to EU Membership and Democratic Integrity

Exploring the direct effects of Ukraine’s energy corruption scandal on the stability of their democracy.

Shameless Politics: How Scandal Lost Its Power in America

As scandal after scandal fails to draw consequences, a new political logic has taken hold—one where shamelessness isn’t a liability but a governing strategy.

Peru’s Hollow Democracy: How Congress Captured the State

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University, Featured

When Peru's Congress voted unanimously on October 10, 2025, to remove President Dina Boluarte for "permanent moral incapacity," the decision was framed as a constitutional...

Democratic Means to Undemocratic Ends – How Donald Trump is Weaponizing Democracy for His Own Gain

Oct 18, 2025 | Arizona State University

Modern autocratization is often marked by executive leaders weaponizing the legal system of the democratic country they were elected to lead. It allows for an easy way of...

Democracy on the Brink: How the 2024 Election Tested America’s Democratic Foundations

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

The Slow Creep of Democratic Erosion Democracy doesn’t collapse suddenly – it deteriorates gradually from within. The 2024 U.S. presidential election revealed significant divisions in American...

Trump and The Fight for Immunity

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

The Trump administration has settled into the White House for less than a month, taking action on several issues that America is facing. With many problems to tackle, it does not help that President...

America Demoted to a “Flawed Democracy”

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

No longer the "Shining City Upon a Hill" as President Reagan proudly claimed in his parting note in 1989, the U.S. has been demoted from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" - an indictment of...

Erosion of Democratic Norm in Trump’s America

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

The United States has long been perceived as the emblem of democracy, a perspective championed by millions of Americans. However, a closer examination of the Trump administration's agenda reveals...

Democratic Erosion in Japan: A Silent Crisis

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Japan is often praised as a stable democracy; however, a closer look at its political and economic landscape reveals troubling signs of democratic backsliding. From prolonged economic stagnation and...

The Foreshadowing of Elon: What DOGE Says About the Trump Administration

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

So far, the return of the Trump administration has been a flurry of activity with over 60 executive orders ranging in subject matter from immigration reform to climate change to renaming the Gulf of...

Attempted Coup in South Korea! Thwarted?

Feb 14, 2025 | Brown University

Abstract: South Korea faced an attempted coup in December by President Yoon Suk Yeol with the enactment of martial law. Fortunately the South Korean National Assembly and opposition party were able...

Javier Milei’s “War on Diversity” and Role In Argentina’s Democratic Erosion

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Argentinian president Javier Milei's recent so called "War on Diversity" has sparked mass protest, with the result being thousands taking to the streets. This comes as a response to his...

India’s Democratic Crisis

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Being named the world’s largest democracy with over 1.4 billion people in population size, its democratic nature is seemingly dying a slow death. The gradual decline of India’s democracy through...