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...

The Current Rise of Populism: Weaponizing Elections

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

Who does one think of when talking about populism and authoritarianism? The common names that come to mind are those of Hitler, Hugo Chavez, Juan Perón, Alberto Fujimori,...

Tunisia’s current democratic backslide

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

Africa as a whole has faced many challenges, notably colonization, which impeded the progress of many of its nations. The legacy of colonization persists, with numerous...

The Issue With Court Packing

Oct 24, 2020 | University of Chicago

Since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Congress and indeed the rest of the country has been grappling with how we should proceed in filling the late justice’s seat. The Republican and...

Authoritarianism vs. USPS

Oct 24, 2020 | University of Chicago

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has offered essential services to the people of the United States for more than 240 years. Among these services include the secure delivery of absentee...

Rewriting the Russian Constitution: A Lesson in Stealth or Overt Authoritarianism?

Oct 24, 2020 | University of Chicago

In late June of 2020 the Russian government held a nation-wide plebiscite on a series of constitutional amendments proposed earlier this year by President Vladimir Putin. Among a myriad of changes...

Does a Summer of Political Violence Spell Authoritarianism for the US?

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

In How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt outline parameters which serve as warning signs regarding the erosion of democracy, one of them being the “toleration or encouragement of...

Does This Florida Legal Battle Spell the End of American Democracy?

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

On September 11th 2020, a federal court of appeals decided that Florida’s former convicts must pay all court fines before they can vote. This blunted the effect of Amendment 4, which passed in 2018,...

The Thai Government and Their Textbook Erosion

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

The Thai Government has demonstrated various textbook examples of authoritarianism and democratic erosion in the past year or so, and protests continuing despite COVID concerns exemplifies the...

In This Election, It’s Not Democrat or Republican on the Ballot– It’s Democracy

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

After a summer marked by a global health crisis, social upheaval, and a devastating economic downturn, the stakes of an American presidential election have never been higher. And with early voting...

Thailand’s Hypocrisy: A Case Study of Stealth Authoritarianism

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

Though the Thai government does not necessarily hide its autocratic tendencies, it is far from willing to let go of the democratic label. On October 15th 2020, after three months of student-led...

Unions and Political Representation: How the Decline of Collective Bargaining Threatens Democracy

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

In the United States, union membership has set a national standard – a north star – for employee protections, labor rights, and political organization in the workplace. However, since the 1980’s,...