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...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

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...

Prabowo Dismantling Democracy, One Law at a Time

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On March 20, 2025, Indonesia’s Parliament approved revisions to their Indonesian National Military (TNI) Law No. 34/2004, raising concerns for civilians across the country....

The Unraveling of Bulgarian Democracy

Oct 30, 2024 | Ohio State University

Bulgaria saw massive protests in 2020 against Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his administration. These demonstrated the democratic backsliding that had been occurring since the mid-2010s. Jana...

Honduras: How Populism Lead to the Removal of the Extradition Treaty

Oct 30, 2024 | Ohio State University

Honduras has struggled with gang violence and, therefore, drug trafficking since the fall of Dictator-Military Leader Rafael López Gutiérrez from 1924. To this day, Honduras efforts to dismantle the...

Party Labels and the Courts: Ohio’s Shift Toward a Partisan Judiciary

Oct 16, 2024 | Ohio State University

On September 4th, I attended an Ohio College Democrats’ meeting and listened to Judge Lisa Forbes speak. She is currently running for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court as a Democrat against her...

City Council: A Perfect Storm for Democratic Erosion

Oct 16, 2024 | Ohio State University

When it comes to the city council, how much do they do? What are the inner workings of a city’s council? What are the positions of the members of the city council? Are city councils even important?...

Redrawing the Lines: Issue 1, Political Polarization between Ohio Voters

Oct 14, 2024 | Ohio State University

Through the Franklin County Democratic party, I had the opportunity to participate in several canvasing events this past month. On October 11th and 12th I canvased the Clintonville and...

Duking-it-Out: How an Ohio Group Promotes Dialogue in their Polarized Community

Oct 14, 2024 | Ohio State University

The League of Women Voters of Northern Portage County (LWVNPC), a small, hyperlocal voting rights and civic engagement group, operates at the edge of the Cleveland suburbs, where cul-de-sacs bleed...

How Changes To Columbus’s LEAP Program Demonstrate the Strength’s Of Our Democratic System

Oct 13, 2024 | Ohio State University

Lead exposure is an urgent issue in Ohio. These last two weeks I had the opportunity to watch the Columbus City Council meeting discussing Columbus’ initiative to replace all lead pipes in the city...

City Council and Solving Politics

Oct 11, 2024 | Ohio State University

Efficiency. Responsiveness. Order. They were all perfectly present in the 48th regular meeting of the Columbus City Council, an affair where proceedings were dominated by ordinance after...

Calling for Local Engagement: The Ohio Democratic Party Phone Bank

Oct 11, 2024 | Ohio State University

For the last two weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have volunteered for the Ohio Democratic Party’s phone bank, speaking with local candidates across the state and interacting with potential...