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...

Libel Suits are an Effective Legal Tool to Combat Disinformation

Apr 26, 2023 | University of Utah

The spread of disinformation related to the Big Lie conspiracy perpetuated by Trump, and his allies, including Right-wing media networks, helped spur the 'Stop the Steal...

COVID-19: A Pandemic of Misinformation

Apr 25, 2023 | University of Utah

The COVID-19 pandemic was not only a pandemic of a virus, but also a pandemic of misinformation and disinformation. During the year 2020, it was not uncommon to log onto...

Hartsfield’s Landing

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

In a recent reunion episode of The West Wing, the original cast got together in an empty Los Angeles theater to re-enact “Hartsfield’s Landing” - an episode from the third season of the show on the...

Young Citizens Need to Have a Say in the U.S Government

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

By Porscha Maurer October 13, 2020 Becoming a Suffolk Votes Ambassador at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts was one of the most enlightening experiences for any 18-year-old who is...

Voter Suppression in the 21st Century

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? Lately, democracy and democratic ideals, have become synonyms for popular legislation rather than actual democracy procedures. So that begs the question, what is democracy...

Young People and Politics: How to Increase Youth Civic Engagement

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

Who is voting in the 2020 presidential election? Will voter norms continue this year, or will things change? In this blog post, I talk about my experience with politics as a college student and how...

Pandemics and Poor Planning Create Cocktail for Chaos

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

Faced with sudden challenges due to the pandemic, along with circulating misinformation, voters are left confused ahead of the November election....

A Debate or T.V. Show?

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

The year is 2020. Not only have we lost people, but we’ve also lost the will to elect sensible candidates for our country. Now now, I know it’s controversial, but who would I be if I didn’t touch on...

Hope for Youth Voter Turnout in Future Elections

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

It is widely known that there is low voter turnout among those in younger age ranges, particularly those between 18 and 24. Through working as a Suffolks Votes Ambassador I was able to interact with...

A Peaceful Transfer of Power and the American People’s Concern for Their Election’s Security

Oct 18, 2020 | University of Georgia

The United States has faced an arguably unprecedented combination of factors, both domestic and international, throughout 2020 that have created the present day political climate that will shape the...

1865 Oppression or 2020 Suppression?

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

Right to Vote I must warn you that this is my very first time writing and posting a blog. This personal style or type of opinion, I have recently learned is the main form of expression found on many...