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...

A Defamation Lawsuit Against Fox News and What That Means Moving Forward

Apr 24, 2023 | University of Utah

Dominion Voting Systems has created a court filing in a lawsuit against Fox News under a defamation claim regarding the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit, which was...

Independent State Legislature Theory and its Effects on Democracy in the United States

Apr 21, 2023 | University of Utah

After the 2020 census, North Carolina gained a 14th seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. This meant the Republican-led state legislature was able to redraw the House...

The Civil Unrest That Lays Silently With Breonna Taylor

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

For a span of more than five months, riled up supporters and mourners of Breanna Taylor were anticipating that on September 24th, 2020, the three cops of the Louisville Metro Police Department ...

The World’s Largest Democracy in Decline? The Threat of Hindu Nationalism in Modi’s India

Oct 18, 2020 | University of Georgia

Mob violence and mass rioting engulfed New Delhi earlier this year, with images of defenseless Indian Muslims beaten in the streets; their faces bloodied, their businesses and homes turned to ash....

Every Vote Matters

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

These days, fall 2020, if you take a walk around downtown Boston, you’ll see that every store, café or restaurant has a poster, sticker, or an entire booklet with the word “vote” on it. When...

What Causes Racism Still Exists

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

October 17, 2020 by Surochinee Santiwisak On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, a zoom conference began around 7 p.m. hosted by Professors Pamela Newkirk and Deborah Willis of New York University. The...

Don’t Panic: Voting in a Pandemic

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a magnitude of unforeseen challenges to the 2020 Presidential election. With a majority of the nation still concerned for their safety, voting this year looks far...

Miscommunication: The Downfall of American Democracy

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

A few weeks ago, I was honored to have been a viewer of “America’s Divided Mind: Understanding the Psychology that Drives Us Apart”. This panel of experts raised a great deal of important ideas...

A New Vision for the Boston Common

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

As a college student who walks through the Boston Common to get to class on time and overlooks the park from my dorm window, it is refreshing to know that the Boston Parks and Recreation Department...

Democratic Decline and COVID-19

Oct 17, 2020 | Suffolk University

Photo from Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2019 Report Civic Engagement On October 8th, I attended the webinar “Authoritarianism and Democratic Decline” hosted by Freedom House. The engaging...

Suffolk Votes: A Mission To Increase Voter Turnout

Oct 17, 2020 | Suffolk University

Can young voters change their low turnout history in the 2020 Presidential Election? As a child, my mother always made a point to drag me along with her to all elections, big or small. She tried to...