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...

Thoughts on Russian “Democracy”

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

While the focus on Russia today is its war in Ukraine, which as of writing this enters its 600th day, not too long ago that focus was on the state of its “democracy”. Prior...

The Supreme Court’s Potential to Erode Democracy

Oct 15, 2023 | Boston University

The Supreme Court, an institution responsible for providing equal justice under the law, contradicts this role in our current democracy. As the two other branches of...

COVID-19 and the Serbian Case

Oct 22, 2020 | University of Chicago

“One of the great ironies of how democracies die is that the very defense of democracy is often used as a pretext for its subversion.” This line from Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s book How...

Will Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy Learn From His Predecessors?

Oct 22, 2020 | University of Chicago

The Ukrainian people have been through a lot. According to a 2019 Pew Poll, 81% of Ukrainians see a fair judicial system as one of the most important priorities, nevertheless, promises of judicial...

Political Polarization and the American Democracy

Oct 22, 2020 | University of Chicago

In the United States, the people want democracy. In fact, recent work by the Pew Research Center finds that "while Americans generally agree on democratic ideals and values [...] they see the...

The Youth Vote, or Lack Thereof

Oct 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

My first experience with our democratic system was the 2012 Presidential Election. Though only ten or eleven at the time, and not having a single clue what was going on, I very distinctly remember...

Election Manipulation Threatens U.S Democracy

Oct 22, 2020 | Brown University

One month before Election Day, Republican Governor Greg Abbott issued two executive orders altering the newfound role of Texas as a swing state in the 2020 federal elections. First, he restricted...

Political Violence, Donald Trump, and the Alt-Right

Oct 22, 2020 | University of Chicago

By introducing the threat of violence through his refusal to condemn violent Alt-Right groups such as the Proud Boys, Donald Trump is undermining a fundamental norm behind the US electoral system:...

The Presence of Sub-National Stealth Authoritarianism in a Democratic Stronghold

Oct 22, 2020 | University of Chicago

As the election season comes into full swing, Trump and the GOP, have become noticeably worried about the outcome of this election year – especially as the means of voting has become more...

When Democratization Becomes an Important but Dangerous Endeavor

Oct 21, 2020 | Brown University

On April 2nd 2018, Dr. Abiy Ahmed became the 4th Prime Minister of Ethiopia in the midst of growing protests. His inauguration speech sparked a sense of joy and optimism about the future of...

Black Lives Matter: How a Modern Civil Rights Movement Became a Symbol of American Democracy

Oct 21, 2020 | Suffolk University

The year of 2020 has been nothing short of long, strange and tumultuous. Americans have been dodging punches from all corners of the ring and are undoubtedly tired. One of the most sorrowful and...