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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear By Fotios E. Meimeteas Imagine you are a single mother in the United States, raising four children who depend on you. You have established a new life, built a home, paid taxes, and lived in the United States for...

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Will the Measles Outbreak turn into Another Pandemic Similar to Covid-19?

Apr 21, 2025 | University of Memphis

Will the measles outbreak turn into another pandemic similar to Covid-19? We all remember how Covid-19 shut the world down. It affected every facet of our lives. If the...

Is Trump Tariff-en off Congress?

Apr 21, 2025 | Boston University

When the United States Constitution was created, the founders were wary of an overly powerful executive branch. To avoid the possibility of a future president overstepping...

Mexico’s Democracy, on the Path to Autocratization?

Nov 29, 2021 | Georgia State University

Mexico’s Democracy, on the Path to Autocratization? Gonzalo Meza In 2018, the left-wing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), from the newly founded National Regeneration Movement,...

From a Standstill to an Eroding Democracy: The Expiration of Guatemala’s Corruption Watchdog Changes the Future of the Democracy

Nov 29, 2021 | Suffolk University

A lifetime of anti-corruption efforts in Guatemala led to the creation of a UN backed anti-corruption agency. How will Guatemala move forward after its expiration and what does this signal?...

Autocratic Consolidation in Cameroon: Focus on the Influence of Constitutional Amendments and the Ambazonia War

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

The Republic of Cameroon has been ruled since 1982 by Paul Biya. These thirty nine years in power perfectly illustrate an overstayed welcome. Which is a precursor of autocratic consolidation. To...

All Eyes on Erdoğan: Can Turkish Democracy Survive His Rise to Power?

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

On January 1, 2021 a new university President arrived at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey. Despite decades of tradition in which the university community voiced support for a candidate they...

Gay Rights vs. the Ghanaian Government

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

Ghana is currently democratically backsliding. The current President, Akufo- Addo, runs Ghana with an iron fist. From the outside looking in, Ghana is presenting itself as an authoritative...

Systemic Inequality and American Democracy: Structural Racism in the United States

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

Race is a social construct that was created for the purpose of subjugating entire groups of people based on skin color. The social construct was institutionalized and has been able to thrive for...

Corruption and Crisis: How Lebanon’s Autocratic State Is Failing

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

Faced with the worst economic and humanitarian crisis in the country’s history, Lebanon steers towards an autocratic state that is waiting to collapse. President Michel Aoun, who was elected in 2016...

What Does Taiwan’s Future Look Like After What Has Happened in Hong Kong?

Nov 28, 2021 | Suffolk University

Analysis of both quantitative data (V-Dem scores and survey results) and qualitative data (interviews conducted with a translator* who works in the government) show worrying trends of democratic...

Latinx Voters Disadvantages in the United States

Nov 28, 2021 | University of Utah

The Latinx political participation in the United States is relatively low. However, Latinx political participation is higher in their countries of origin. Therefore, why aren't Latinx becoming...