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.

Netanyahu: The Threat to Israel’s Democracy

Apr 11, 2023 | Rollins College

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu In the past year, tensions between Palestine and Israel have begun to deepen and spiral into large problems of violence and...

Donald Trump’s Populism Influence on the January 6th Storming of the Capitol

Apr 10, 2023 | Rollins College, Uncategorized

Photo by Jane Norman (2021) https://lailluminator.com/2021/05/19/u-s-house-oks-commission-to-probe-capitol-attack-but-mcconnell-objections-may-doom-it/ January 6th,...

A Certain Majority

Nov 17, 2020 | University of Chicago

One of the specific criteria of populist leaders according to Jan-Werner Müller is antipluralism. He writes, “[Populists] claim that they and they alone represent the people.” [1] Instead of...

Why Unpopular Politicians Win Elections: Lessons from Kentucky

Nov 17, 2020 | University of Chicago

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is one of the least popular politicians in the nation— and that’s not just a matter of opinion. According to a 2019 Morning Consult survey, McConnell...

Donald the Lame-Duck President

Nov 17, 2020 | University of Chicago

The Donald is officially a lame duck. That’s all folks! Or is it…. On November 9th, not even one week after the general election that eventually quashed his chances of a second term, the president...

Trump’s Attacks on American Democracy: The Lead-Up to the 2020 Election

Nov 17, 2020 | University of Georgia

President Donald Trump, in his efforts to retain the Presidency of the United States for a second term, has engaged in many behaviors in the past few months that undermine the very basis of...

Sacrificing Truth at the Altar of Power

Nov 17, 2020 | University of Chicago

Even though the 2020 Presidential Election was called on November 14th, escaping election news seems impossible. The last week has seen Trump's legal team file a plethora of lawsuits over supposed...

Democratic Erosion in India: Modi Leads the Country Into a More Polarized Society

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

Narendra Modi’s time as Prime Minister of India has been watched closely by the world as escalations have heightened with Pakistan in recent years. Modi has enacted many policies and actions that...

Voter Suppression: How it Still Exists 100 Years After the Passing of the 19th Amendment

Nov 16, 2020 | Suffolk University

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/opinion/texas-voter-suppression.html Civic Engagement I joined the JFK library's conference about the 19th Amendment and voting rights today. This conference was...

Pork Barrel Spending: How an Anti-corruption Measure Heightens Polarization and Threatens American Democracy

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

While ostensibly a positive effort against corruption, the voluntary banning of pork-barrel spending has contributed to the erosion of American democracy by encouraging hyperpolarization on the...

Lessons Learned in Brussels: What Hungary’s Democratic Erosion Tells Us About the European Union’s Leverage

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

Incentives are everything. Since its founding in 1993, the European Union (EU) has understood this and become a master of soft power pressure and incentive-based democratic reforms. Indeed, as much...