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.

Analyzing the 2024 Mexican Judicial Reforms

In 2024, the then-President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, passed a sweeping overhaul of the judiciary in Mexico. The 2024 judicial reforms introduced a dramatic overhaul of Mexico’s judicial system, eroding judicial independence and reducing the Supreme...

Flip a Coin: Voting in the United States of America

Voting in the United States of America is portrayed as the foundation of the world's greatest democracy, the ultimate freedom amongst an endless list of freedoms. But this century has seen a shadow of doubt thrown upon the idea of voting as the outcomes and processes...

The Invisible Line: El Salvador in the Gray Zone between Democracy and Dictatorship

Stealth authoritarianism is the process in which political elites gradually erode democratic systems not through overt force but by manipulation of the public’s fear. In this context, El Salvador has appeared as a representative example. By emphasizing crime reduction...

Threats to American Democracy

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Since the 2024 election and the inauguration of Donald Trump (and dating back to the 2016 election), democracy in the United States, along with its democratic norms and...

Trump’s Challenging of the 14th Amendment: The Question of Birthright Citizenship

Feb 13, 2025 | Boston University

In the mere three weeks following his inauguration, President Donald Trump has ushered in a range of feelings across the nation regarding, what many may consider drastic,...

The End of the Regime But the Continuation of Anti-Blackness: The Fallacies of Dominican Democracy Brought to Light

Dec 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

The year 2020 has seen the democratic fallacies of one particular nation unraveled in front of the eyes of its citizens, all within the premises of a presidential election. Acts of political...

Facebook’s Threat to Democracy: Adapting to the Times

Dec 18, 2020 | Georgia State University

Over the past few years, Facebook has faced considerable backlash. The tech giant, run by Mark Zuckerberg, has garnered notoriety for its sketchy corporate practices. These include the Cambridge...

Niger’s Upcoming Election Cycle: Falling Back on Old Authoritarian Habits

Dec 18, 2020 | Georgia State University

Niger’s general elections are quickly approaching. Scheduled for December 27th, the elections will decide who replaces presidential incumbent Mahamadou Issoufou of the Nigerien Party for Democracy...

Did COVID-19 Rescue American Democracy?

Dec 17, 2020 | Sabanci University

American democracy is in a state of democratic decline. Once rated 93 by Freedom House’s Freedom in the World index in 2013, the U.S.’s score dropped to 86 by 2019 (Repucci 2020). This regression...

Deep-Rooted Social Cleavages Present a Threat to Nepali Democracy

Dec 16, 2020 | James Madison University

Deep social cleavages polarize society into antagonistic identity groups. These groups have become so deeply rooted that politicians are appealing to the base group. Citizens usually vote for...

Fighting for Democracy: Thailand Protests in 2020

Dec 16, 2020 | James Madison University

Throughout 2020, Thailand has experienced mass protests over the dissatisfaction with the monarch and constitution. Many of these protestors include demands for the monarch of the resignation of the...

Georgia’s Representation Problem: Will This Democratic Success Story Soon Crumble?

Dec 16, 2020 | James Madison University

Georgia is heralded by the European Union as one of the successes of democratic transition among the post-Soviet states during the late 20th century, but is this success overestimated? Not only has...

Democracy for the Indigenous People of Chile

Dec 16, 2020 | James Madison University

The Mapuche Indians were once one of the biggest indigenous groups in South America. Today, there are around 1 million Mapuche people living in Chile, and a smaller amount in Argentina. They...

Not So Fast: Student-Led Protests Stop Coup in its Tracks

Dec 16, 2020 | Northeastern University

On Monday, November 9th, Peruvian congress voted to impeach President Martín Vizcarra and remove him from office. Congress accused Vizcarra of accepting bribes from companies during his time as...