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.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

Enemies of the People: Matteo Salvini’s Politics of Delegitimation in Italy

Apr 29, 2025 | Tartu University

Enemies of the People: Matteo Salvini’s Politics of Delegitimation in Italy In April 2025, Matteo Salvini and his party, the far-right Lega (League), sparked outrage...

Robert Fico’s media law: a populist attack on public broadcasting

Apr 28, 2025 | Tartu University

Robert Fico’s media law: a populist attack on public broadcasting In April 2024, Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, oversaw the dismantling of one of the...

Are Demagogues the Future of U.S. Democracy?

Oct 15, 2021 | University of Georgia

For anyone who has paid attention to U.S. politics over the past couple years, many blatant instances of democratic erosion have been hard to miss. Democratic erosion or backsliding is essentially...

How Can People Still Believe Trump Lost the Election?

Oct 15, 2021 | University of Georgia

Ever since the election in 2020, one of the common themes throughout conservative media is the “fact” that the election was stolen, and Donald Trump is the rightful president of our...

The Far-Right Returns to Germany

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

Since World War II, no far-right nationalist movement leaders have held any seats in the German parliament, but this changed during the 2017 German elections. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party...

Democratic Backsliding in Colombia

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

Colombia’s democracy has been on a decline for quite some time now. Evidence of democratic backsliding can be seen through acts of violence within the state, human rights abuses, and drug...

Potential Polexit: Will It Happen And Does It Risk Worsening Democratic Erosion in Poland?

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

Setting The Scene Poland is one of the few post-communist states which was able to gain EU membership, but ongoing undemocratic practices within the country may cause Poland to leave the EU. If...

Venezuela’s 2018 Presidential Election Shows Signs of Democratic Backsliding

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

After the death of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez in 2013, Nicholás Maduro became the country’s president. While Maduro has been in power, the citizens of Venezuela have been enduring years...

Early Signs of Democratic Backsliding in Relation to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

Caleb Cloud Democratic backsliding is best understood as the opposite of democratization or the loss of democratic institutions. This is happening today in countries one would not expect. This can...

Stealth Authoritarianism for Georgia Voters

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

By Humayra Bramblett When defining democracy, the right to vote can be considered one of its key features. Yet in the past decade, the right to vote has become a privilege rather than an inherent...

Chileans Have Lived Under the Shadow of a Dictator for 40 Years

Oct 14, 2021 | University of Georgia

Now they are changing that by rewriting their constitution In 1973, a military junta lead by General Augusto Pinochet took power in Chile by military force. After 7 years of rule, in 1980, Pinochet...