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.

In Illinois, Donors Narrowed Democracy… Again

The 2026 primaries in Illinois depict how large-scale outside spending legally reshapes candidate viability at the nomination stage, narrowing democratic choice without altering the formal mechanics of voting.

What a shrunken Congress means for democracy in America

Congress has shirked its constitutional duty to stand up to the presidency. This has dire consequences for our democracy.

Where are our Leaders of ’16? The Need for a New Sovereign Republic

Is the UK eroding Northern Irelands democracy?

Does the State of US Media Mean We Are in Democratic Free-fall? No, Not Really.

Sep 12, 2024 | Ohio State University

The environment around US media has shifted dramatically over the last decade. Independence in US journalism has been a source of pride and confidence to the US people, but...

What Is Happening In Venezuela? And What Can We Expect Moving Forward?

Sep 12, 2024 | University of Notre Dame

Laura Gamboa is an Assistant Professor of Democracy and Global Affairs at the Keough School at the University of Notre Dame. She is an Affiliated Faculty of the Democratic...

Democracy and Democratic Erosion in Brazil

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University, Georgia State University Perimeter College

Although a Democracy is a well-structured form of government it’s not always the best system for all countries. Some countries...

Israel and the U.S.

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University

For a long time now, the world has kept up with the democratic backsliding happening in Israel. Now the United States is following in their footsteps. Not only are the people of Israel in an ongoing...

Populism and Democratic Erosion of Italy

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

Populism is on the rise in many democratic countries globally including many European countries, such as Italy. Democracies of the Cold War era often went by the way of military coups. There are...

Threats from the Arctic

Dec 11, 2020 | Suffolk University

USCGC Polar Sea at Iceberg B-15A on Jan. 29, 2001 (wikimedia; NSF/Josh Landis )USCGC Polar Star backs and rams through dense ice off the Antarctic coast, Jan. 15, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by...

The Largest Democracy on the brink of becoming an Authoritarian regime: India’s Democratice Erosion.

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University, Georgia State University Perimeter College

BY Cindy Martinez India currently has one of the largest populations, with over 1.3 billion citizens. The country has over 900 million registered voters, making India the largest democracy. However,...

Guinea’s Election Violence: Threats to West African Democracy

Dec 11, 2020 | University of Georgia

The October election that took place in Guinea gave rise to a wave of polarized electorate who have been engaging in a variety of protests, riots, and other forms of civil disobedience in light of...

Cloaked in Democracy by Gideon X Melvin

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

So why is Zimbabwe still not a bastion for democracy? The white minority rulers were overthrown in 1979 after a guerilla uprising that cleared the way for free and fair elections and the rise of...

Sectarian Politics in Lebanon and Its Relevance to Democracy

Dec 11, 2020 | American University

Lebanon was created by colonialism, which began with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following World War 1. At the end of the war, in 1920 the League of Nations officially granted France a...

The Failure of Political Parties: Institutions As Gatekeepers in Indonesia’s Democratic System

Dec 11, 2020 | American University

Although many assume democracies die “at the hands of men with guns,” Levitsky and Ziblatt (2018) stress that there are “other ways to break a democracy”, less dramatic but equally effective, via...