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.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

Hanging By A Thread: Democracy in Peru

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

On December 7th, the Peruvian Congress removed sitting President Pedro Castillo from office after he announced plans to shut down congress. This presidential announcement...

Felon Disenfranchisement and Subversion of the Black Electorate

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

Beginning after Reconstruction—when Black men were granted the right to vote—the implementation of voter disenfranchisement laws crept across the United States in the form...

American Exceptionalism or An Eroding Election?: Destructive Voting Procedures in the United States

Oct 20, 2020 | Williams College

During a Virtual Roundtable on Voting and Electoral Manipulation that occurred on Friday, September 25th, democratic erosion experts pointed to the unfortunate fact that voters in the United States...

Looking Beyond the SHIELD ACT: American Responses to Foreign Intervention Are Too Limited in Scope

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Chicago

Reforms proposed in the SHIELD ACT to limit foreign financial contributions in the 2020 election are insufficient to protect electoral integrity. Foreign agents have other political tools at their...

Subjugating the Fourth Branch: the Case of Public Media in the Polish Presidential Election

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Chicago

On June 13th 2020, the incumbent Andrzej Duda secured another 5 years in office as the president of the Republic of Poland. After a fierce battle and with a mere 400 thousand votes of advantage, he...

Thriving in the Time of Corona: New Zealand’s Exemplary COVID-19 Response

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic under the leadership of Jacinda Ardern and the labour party has arguably been the best in the world. The strength of a government can be defined by...

Cancel Nation: How Cancel Culture Undermines Democratic Discourse Through Self-Censorship

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

Now more than ever, people are scared to say what they really think. Whether at dinner tables, at work, or in classrooms, our social interactions have devolved into fear: fear of what other people...

Youth of Today: Diverse, Interconnected, and a Driving Force for Change

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

The influence of the youth in activist movements is not a novel phenomenon. Movements in the United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, and many other countries have seen youth at the forefront of their...

How the American Left Hurts Itself in the Battle for Democracy

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

Democracy in the United States is slowly collapsing under the weight of hyper-partisanship and demagoguery. Enabled by the Republican Party, Donald Trump has placed an incredible amount of strain on...

Misinformation Threats via Social Media Bots in the U.S.

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Georgia

Fake news could be one of the most potentially harmful things to democracy. With the presence of social media platforms growing more and more within the field of politics each day, there has...