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...

Speaker of the House and Cause for Concern

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

Mike Johnson was recently elected as the new speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Johnson is a supporter of former President Trump and had recently filed a...

Is Bangladesh an Exceptional Case of Democratic Backsliding?

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

The current regime of Bangladesh ruled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been categorized as an authoritarian regime by the V-Dem Institute, a democracy research...

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...

A Civil President

Nov 21, 2020 | Suffolk University

It was the afternoon of Saturday November 7th I was walking down the street when I unexpectedly got involved in the most exciting civic engagement of recent days. It was an unusually warm,...

How Mis/Disinformation Plagues Political Protests

Nov 21, 2020 | Suffolk University

Speaking as a teenager in the United States, it is safe to say I spend a lot of my time on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etcetera. Currently, I have been seeing many...

Political Awareness Post-Election

Nov 21, 2020 | Suffolk University

Following election day, it is fair to say anxiety levels were high. As my friend and I spent hours glued to the television, we watched history write itself as voter turnout soared and swing states...

Young Voters and Division: What Should America Be Worrying About?

Nov 20, 2020 | Suffolk University

Young voters around the country have faced unprecedented circumstances in voting during a historic election. As many students continue their lives from behind a computer screen, Suffolk University...

Donald Trump: The Best Worst President in Democratic History

Nov 20, 2020 | Suffolk University

Throughout the past four years, the Trump Administration has been among the most confusing cases of revolving doors and executive disorder in the history of the United States. Before this, the...

Suburban White Women, Polarization, and Democratic Erosion

Nov 20, 2020 | University of Chicago

It has long been established that party polarization can contribute to democratic erosion. As Steven Levitsky and Deniel Ziblatt have pointed out, when extremists emerge as serious electoral...