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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

The Effect of Neoliberalism and Populism on American Democratic Erosion

Dec 27, 2022 | University of Denver

What is democratic erosion? Democratic erosion is the phenomena in which government institutions fail to uphold democratic constitutions. There are many ways in which...

Does Media Coverage of Corruption Help Populists?

Dec 27, 2022 | Skidmore College

Earlier this month, right-wing nationalist Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in Israel, despite facing multiple federal corruption charges. Many Israelis have expressed...

Pre-Existing Condition: Scars from Apartheid Keep a Young Democracy Down

Oct 17, 2020 | Brown University

Just because a new government 'checks all the boxes' of a democracy doesn’t mean it’s going to run smoothly. The conditions under which a democratic society is born have lasting impacts on the...

Germany: Does Political Extremism Hurt Its Democracy?

Oct 16, 2020 | University of Georgia

According to The Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Germany qualifies as a country with full democracy, which means that “civil liberties and fundamental...

Development & Democracy: Sub-Saharan Africa Handicapped by Colonialism?

Oct 16, 2020 | Brown University

When you search up “Africa” and “democracy in a web browser, you see headlines like “Fight for Democracy”, “Safeguarding Democracy”, and “Threats to Democratic Transition”; these headlines signal...

Will Trump Peacefully Step Down if He Loses the 2020 Election?

Oct 15, 2020 | University of Georgia

While there have been highly contentious U.S. presidential elections in the past, there has never been reason to question if the presidential incumbent would step down in the face of a loss....

Kashmiri Lives as a Force of Indian Democratic Erosion

Oct 15, 2020 | University of Georgia

On the night of September 24th, Kashmiri lawyer and activist, Babar Qadri, was shot dead in his home by two gunmen posing as potential clients. Qadri had been a controversial figure in India and...

The Corporate Threat: Can We Really Expect the Fox To Leave the Henhouse?

Oct 15, 2020 | Northeastern University

As the United States presidential elections draw closer, indicators that the incumbent will not accept the election results rise. American democracy relies upon free and fair elections, but for...

The United States Feels Ominously Like Chavez’s Venezuela, Just Weeks From Its Presidential Election

Oct 15, 2020 | Northeastern University

With the United States approaching its most contentious election yet, the atmosphere feels like a Latin American déjà vu… As President Hugo Chavez threatened his opponents on live television the...

The August 2020 Coup in Mali: Extending Theories of Democratic Erosion to Low-Income Countries

Oct 15, 2020 | Brown University

On August 18, 2020, mutinous soldiers seized power from the Malian president. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (IBK) appeared on TV asking, “Do I really have a choice?” shortly before dissolving the...

Voter Suppression in the United States

Oct 15, 2020 | Northeastern University

The principle of “one man, one vote” is under threat in America. The idea that everyone is able to vote in a free and fair election is a core democratic value critical to uphold. Unfortunately,...