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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

The Informational Middleman: A Hidden Literacy Crisis, Who Gets to Explain Democracy?

What if you can vote but can’t understand what you’re voting on? Imagine two citizens receiving identical governmental notices before preparing to cast their votes in an upcoming election. Both have the same legal right to vote, contact their representatives, and...

How Many Resignations are Too Many Resignations?: The Political Environment of the UK Leading to Keir Starmer Relinquishing his Premiership

There has been a lot of commotion in the last years about the instability of liberal democracies, and particularly established democracies which have made a considerable amount of people question their validity and efficacy. A particularly interesting example of this...

When Legal Authority May Undermine Democracy: The Overseas Voting Forms Controversy

In late August, the Trump Administration used emergency requests to alter the federal voting form used by overseas U.S. citizens, limiting how certain voters can request ballots. The changes include the elimination of a checkbox for U.S. citizens born abroad who have...

Political Parties Increasing Dislike of Each Other in Contemporary America

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

In May, a survey put out by Pew Research Center found that 58% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans viewed the opposing party in a negative and unfavorable light....

The Republicans’ Midterm Campaign is about Legitimacy, Not Rules

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Since early 2025, the Justice Department has filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ voter data, in an effort to obtain voter rolls containing sensitive information about...

How Algorithms Are Reshaping Political Reality

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Democracy is often judged by whether a country holds elections, maintains courts, and allows political competition and debate. Yet in many modern political systems, these institutions continue to...

The Yadan Law and Its Potential Harm to Freedom of Expression in France

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

France’s Assemblée Nationale was set to debate an important bill for freedom of expression on April 16th. Though it was withdrawn before the debate, the government plans to introduce a similar law...

Bulgaria’s Democratic Backsliding and the Upcoming Election

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Communist Bulgaria fell in 1989, being replaced by a democratic system with severe economic challenges and deep political reforms. In 2007, Bulgaria joined the EU hoping to strengthen democratic...

Hope for Canada: Democratic Resilience

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Canada may be the shining hope of democratic resilience that the United States needs to see. In Canada’s most recent elections on Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney, of the Liberal Party, gained a...

Podcasters Gone Rogue: MAGA “Soft-liners” Reveal Themselves

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

As the United States and Iran come to a tentative ceasefire, President Trump and former MAGA podcasters can’t seem to do the same. The Make America Great Again, or “MAGA” movement has always relied...

Trump vs. the Federal Reserve

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Democratic erosion doesn’t happen suddenly, or even in the form of coups anymore; instead, it occurs through the gradual, internal erosion of institutions. Ozan Varol coined the term “stealth...

The SAVE America Act: Integrity or Erosion?

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Debates about voting laws have a long history of being highly contested in American politics. While proposals claiming to secure democracy have risen, the question persists: Do these measures...

Democracy Fails, Market Follows

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Democratic backsliding is often seen as a political problem, a phenomenon that manifests itself in elections, courts, or constitutions. But what if its effects reach well beyond the realm of...

Democratic Erosion in Turkey: Elections, Institutions, and Media Under Erdoğan

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Turkey, once hailed as a model of democracy for its neighbors, has experienced a steady democratic decline over more than two decades of rule by President Erdoğan and the AKP (Justice and...