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.

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy?

Israel’s suggested judicial reforms pose a risk to democratic checks and balances by undermining the independence of the judiciary, centralizing executive authority, and potentially weakening democratic principles, similar to what has been observed in countries like Poland.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Ghana Protests: Example of Democratic Backsliding

Oct 13, 2023 | Salem State University

In September, Ghana saw a wave of protests against the economic crisis that has been ravaging the country for the past five years. The protests happened in front of the...

Recommendations for Addressing Yemen’s Challenges

Oct 12, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Introduction Yemen has undergone substantial economic, political, and social developments during the last four decades. Notably, there were uprisings in North Yemen in...

Corrupting the Youth, Destroying the Future

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Cyprus is a small country in the Mediteranian with a relatively new Democracy. In the early 1900’s Cyprus was a British colony but it gained independence in 1960. In 1960 Greek and Turkish...

Sunset on the Golden Dawn: The Rise and Fall of Neo-Fascism in Greece

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Photo by Massimiliano Donghi on Unsplash Earlier this fall Greek courts handed down rulings that changed its political landscape. The leaders of the Golden Dawn party were convicted...

A Civil Liberty For All?: The Truth About Voter Suppression

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Voter turnout has been studied for decades. Demographics of voting and registered voters changes with every election, presidential or not, each vote is counted for a statistic. Now, in saying that,...

Trump and Democratic Backsliding in the United States

Nov 22, 2020 | Northeastern University

President Trump is a major source of democratic backsliding in the U.S.; it is time that he accepts defeat in the 2020 election. “What they’re doing is using COVID to steal an election. They’re...

The Slow Decline of Tunisian Democracy

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

On December 18th, 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in response to the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation inflicted upon him by...

Is the Electoral College Truly a Representation of the United States People?

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

On November 3rd, the entire United States and other countries looked towards the government, focusing on President Donald Trump and Candidate Joe Biden. Ballot counting, electoral college votes, and...

The Electoral College and Why It Has To Go

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

On September 17th, 1787, delegates of the Constitutional Convention ratified the United States Constitution, making it the official framework for the United States Government. Though the term...

Democrats vs. Republicans Shouldn’t Be a Sports Match, and Yet…

Nov 22, 2020 | Northeastern University

Donald J. Trump lost his re-election campaign for President of the United States. This is a fact. As of now, former Vice-President Joe Biden has received almost 80 million votes to Trump’s nearly 74...

From Shirley Chisholm to Kamala Harris: An Impossible Inception to a Realized Inspiration

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

As all of the United States, let alone many foreign countries around the globe waited on an official vote count, which ended four days later, the world would finally know which political party the...