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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Namibia’s Troubling Drift Toward Democratic Erosion

This article delves into how the recent 2024 presidential election and contradicting executive laws have greatly impacted the state of democracy in Namibia.

Will Protests in Morocco Lead to Meaningful Change?

The wave of protests against King Mohammed VI in Morocco are unlikely to succeed.

Dina Boluarte and Democratic Backsliding in Peru

Dina Boluarte continues the legacy of anti-democratic presidents in Peru.

Unraveling Russia’s Influence on Brazil’s Democracy: The Nova Resistência

Nov 24, 2023 | Northeastern University

In the landscape of global information manipulation, the New Resistance emerges as a significant player in the erosion of democracy. The New Resistance is a...

Do Competing Foreign Interests Dissuade Democratic Progress?

Nov 24, 2023 | Northeastern University

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the fall of Yugoslavia, many nations abandoned their communist alliances and ideologies, and flocked to Western alliances...

Democratic Erosion in India: Modi Leads the Country Into a More Polarized Society

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

Narendra Modi’s time as Prime Minister of India has been watched closely by the world as escalations have heightened with Pakistan in recent years. Modi has enacted many policies and actions that...

Voter Suppression: How it Still Exists 100 Years After the Passing of the 19th Amendment

Nov 16, 2020 | Suffolk University

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/opinion/texas-voter-suppression.html Civic Engagement I joined the JFK library's conference about the 19th Amendment and voting rights today. This conference was...

Pork Barrel Spending: How an Anti-corruption Measure Heightens Polarization and Threatens American Democracy

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

While ostensibly a positive effort against corruption, the voluntary banning of pork-barrel spending has contributed to the erosion of American democracy by encouraging hyperpolarization on the...

Lessons Learned in Brussels: What Hungary’s Democratic Erosion Tells Us About the European Union’s Leverage

Nov 16, 2020 | University of Chicago

Incentives are everything. Since its founding in 1993, the European Union (EU) has understood this and become a master of soft power pressure and incentive-based democratic reforms. Indeed, as much...

A Cause To Celebrate?

Nov 15, 2020 | Suffolk University

This past week, The United States underwent one of the most tense elections in our history. The probability of violence with the victory of either candidate was strong. Cities all across the country...

Returned From Exile: Evo Morales Once Again Poses a Threat to Bolivian Democracy

Nov 15, 2020 | University of Chicago

(AP Photo/Juan Karita) After nearly a year in exile, former President Evo Morales returned to Bolivia on November 9th to a crowd of adoring fans at the Argentinian border. In spite of his...

Enabling Democratic Erosion: How Polish Government Polarized the Society

Nov 14, 2020 | University of Chicago

Scholars of political science who study the phenomenon of democratic erosion often analyze the relationship of it with polarization. While there is no academic consensus on which one causes which, a...

How Twitter Changes Stealth Authoritarian’s Approach to News Media

Nov 13, 2020 | University of Chicago

In the grand scheme of checks and balances on authoritarian tendencies, the media ideally plays an impartial role as a guardrail against democratic backsliding. 2016 posed a unique challenge to this...

How Populist Tactics Solidify the Legitimacy of North Korea’s Supreme Leader

Nov 9, 2020 | University of Chicago

The core of populism is in creating an image of the people and representing them to justify political power. [1] It is based on a myth as “the people” as a singular entity does not exist. A populist...