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.

The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse's presidency marked a dangerous shift from Haiti's already shaky democracy to overt authoritarianism. Delayed elections, unchecked abuse of executive power, and violent suppression of resistance became the norm. By the time of his assassination in 2021,...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a negative impact on democracy as a whole. Such a system depends on the free transmission of...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have turned against one another. As both camps sling disinformation against each other, the...

Slovakia’s Decision to Deter Immigrants from Entering the Country and Its Connection to Populism

Nov 15, 2023 | Salem State University

On October 30, 2023, the newly appointed Slovak government deployed police and armed forces to the border it shares with Hungary. This deployment came after Prime Minister...

How a Third Wave of Autocratization Has Impacted Montenegro

Nov 9, 2023 | Salem State University

On October 30th, the Montenegrin parliament voted for a new government after months of political tension. This tension started in June when “Europe Now”, a centrist party...

Democratic Erosion in Norway: Treating a Cancer Before it Spreads

Nov 27, 2020 | Suffolk University

The Scandinavian countries have historically been some of the most robust and fruitful democracies of modern times. Each nation ranks high in many metrics of human development as well....

Increased Partisan Divide Due to 2020 Presidential Election

Nov 26, 2020 | Suffolk University

This past month, the 2020 Presidential Election took place and most of the country sat in front of the nearest news source as we eagerly waited for the results. Saturday, November...

Changes to Drug Enforcement Law in the United States Pose Challenge for Democracy

Nov 25, 2020 | Northeastern University

The United States is in the midst of a sea change in public opinion in how it approaches the issue of drug addiction. Proposed changes are not only increasing in popularity by the year but are also...

Trump’s Court Packing and Abuse of the Constitution

Nov 25, 2020 | Northeastern University

The recent appointment of Amy Coney Barret by Donald Trump was an obvious example of the not very new phenomenon of court packing. The idea of court packing, in the sense I am referring to, is...

Trump’s Undemocratic Lame-Duck Executions Must Not Be Ignored

Nov 25, 2020 | Northeastern University

Grover Cleveland was great at executing people. Nicknamed “The Buffalo Hangman” by opposing campaigns during his first run for president of the United States, Cleveland had been an executioner and...

America’s Acceptance of Populism

Nov 25, 2020 | Northeastern University

On June 16, 2015, the landscape of American politics and democratic norms would drastically change when former reality TV star, and soon to be 45th President, Donald Trump formally announced his run...

Trump (Kind of) Concedes: Now What?

Nov 24, 2020 | Northeastern University

Cries of “fraud” and “stop the count” have echoed throughout the country ever since Joe Biden took the lead over President Donald Trump in both the popular and electoral counts. Fervent Trump...

The Forum of São Paulo: Latin America’s Nightmare?

Nov 24, 2020 | Northeastern University

Latin America faces a wave of challenges since the start of the 21st century, rising inequality, lack of economic growth amongst other issues. However, right-wing politicians have attributed the...

Proposition 22: Corporate Manipulation at its Worst

Nov 24, 2020 | Northeastern University

In California, proposition 22 seemed innocuous. It was a simple ballot measure, should drivers that use apps like Uber and Lyft be considered employees, or independent contractors? The vote passed...