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.

The Trend of Polarization: How Political Competition Becomes Conflict

“Us” Versus “Them” In the context of modern politics in the United States and around the world, an increasingly worrying factor that plays a role in the phenomenon of democratic erosion is polarization. Polarization is a process through which the civil and political...
Read More

The Dignity Act and the Death of Bipartisanship

For much of the late twentieth century, immigration reform in the United States was an achievable feat through bipartisan cooperation. Lawmakers disagreed on key provisions, yet they were able to engage in negotiations, ultimately producing legislation. However in...
Read More

Benin: How Quickly Democracy Can Erode

This post examines how Benin’s democracy is rapidly eroding. President Talon has pushed the country off its right trajectory toward democratic values.

Read More