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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Democracy and the Press: Netanyahu’s Threat to Media Freedom

An analysis of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent efforts to restrict free media in Israel.

Hungary’s 2024 Protests and Elections: Populism VS Oligarchy

Intro In the last two years, Hungary has seen an influx of worker-led protests, even as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained tight control over politics and the media. From 2023 to 2024, teachers and union members took to the streets of Hungary to oppose...

Corruption vs. The Fight for Democratic Resilience: The Threat of Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal to EU Membership and Democratic Integrity

Exploring the direct effects of Ukraine’s energy corruption scandal on the stability of their democracy.

From Populism to Restoration: Ecuador’s Political (R)evolution

Jan 2, 2024 | University of Pennsylvania

In recent years, Ecuador has witnessed a complex interplay between democracy and the rise of populism, a phenomenon that has captured the attention of political analysts and...

Reserve Building Area Law in the Autocratic Presidential System Türkiye

Dec 26, 2023 | Sabanci University

After the constitutional referendum in 2017 Turkey, the state started a new era of its democratic history. In 2017 Turkey held a referendum and according to that referendum...

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

While President Trump has been defeated, populism still poses a potent threat to our democracy. Trump is a right-wing populist. Müller defines populism as “a way of perceiving the political world...

Polarization Is Killing Democracy in the United States, Although There Is Hope

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

On November 7th 2020, Joe Biden was declared 46th president of the United States. The election saw a record turnout rate of over 65%, amounting to over 160 million Americans. In the hours that...

QAnon and America’s Problem with Polarization and Disinformation

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

Signs from a Trump Rally; photo by Al Drago of the New York Times In early December of 2016, a gunman opened fire in a D.C. restaurant, under the belief that children were being held in its basement...

Peru’s Last Chance at Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

With three presidents in one week, and a history of political corruption, can Peru’s fragile democracy stay afloat? In a recent unfolding of events, Peru’s citizens have taken to the streets in...

Chileans Protest for a New Constitution

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

From the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States to the Ni Una Menos collective based in Argentina, protests against neoliberal policies and states have increased in the past decades. As...

Authoritarianism and Donald Trump

Nov 23, 2020 | Northeastern University

President of China, Xi Jinping, in a recent speech to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), announced that China plans on opening a “super-sized” economy. The APEC forum also includes...

Court-Packing: Proposals to Erode Constitutional Order and Endanger U.S. Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Georgia State University

The idea of court packing insinuates that democratic erosion is underway. Courts often operate as guardrails to democracy but once they are overtaken by anti-system parties, they serve as effective...

Symptomatic: Argentina Is Infected With Threats to Its Democracy

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

The stability of Argentinian democracy is under threat. Multiple precursors to democratic erosion are present, including ongoing threats to both vertical and horizontal accountability exemplified by...

Ways of Discussing Politics

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

Are there better ways to engage in politics? How did the United States respond to the results of the 2020 Presidential Election? In this blog post, I talk about the importance of discussing politics...