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.

Identity Survival Amongst Democratically Eroded Ethno-Religious Conflicts

When politics between religious governments turn into a contest for identity survival, democracy institutions stop being referees and start becoming weapons.

Poland’s Democratic Decline Was Reversible

In 2015, Poland experienced a significant decrease in democracy. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), under Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s leadership, secured victories in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. In a matter of months, the government acted to diminish the...

Selective Support of the Courts: How Elite Driven Narratives in Brazil Undermine the Courts Perceived Legitimacy

Fujimori or Sánchez – How Peru Loses Either Way

May 7, 2026 | James Madison University

In the April 2026 presidential elections in Peru there was a total of 35 candidates. As we approach the runoff vote on the top two candidates, Peruvians are going to be...

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

May 6, 2026 | Suffolk University

In May 2026, the United States Supreme Court has now finally temporarily restored access to reproductive medication after a lower court ruling previously threatened to...

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

May 2, 2026 | Boston University

Orbán Lost. But Did Democracy Win? Hungary’s Election and the Limits of Electoral Recovery

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

On April 12 2026 Viktor Orbán's sixteen-year grip on Hungary ended. This is when Péter Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide securing a two-thirds supermajority in parliament. The same threshold...

Democratic Erosion and the Far-Right in Post-Estallido Chile

May 1, 2026 | Tulane University

A fundamental question haunts any serious analysis of Chile's recent political trajectory: did the democratic erosion now visibly accelerating under the far-right begin with the mass mobilizations...

When Saving Democracy Looks Like Killing It: Romania’s Election Crisis and the Paradox of Militant Democracy

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

In December 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court did something almost without precedent in modern European history: it annulled the first round of a presidential election 48 hours before the second...

How the Supreme Court’s Immunity Ruling Impacts American Democracy

Apr 30, 2026 | Suffolk University

In July 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office. In Trump v. United States...

El Salvador: Trading Checks and Balances for Saftey

Apr 30, 2026 | Suffolk University

Resistances to Democratic Backsliding in Indonesia

Apr 30, 2026 | James Madison University

Indonesia has experienced continuous democratic backsliding since 2017. Despite pervasive executive aggrandizement and other continuing challenges, domestic actors have worked from above and below...

Recent President Sets Back El Salvador

Apr 30, 2026 | Boston University

El Salvador is facing democratic erosion due to its current president Nayib Bukele. Bukele at first started his presidency in 2019, winning against the two candidates of the main two historically...

America stuck in a Dilemma

Apr 30, 2026 | Boston University

The United States is at risk of losing its democracy due to its president, Donald Trump. Many are concerned with the fact that Trump is showing signs of wanting to get rid of democracy. A lot of the...