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.

Election Denialism Might be The New Normal in The United States

Although Trump can’t run for another term, the false narrative of election fraud could help to create pushback from his party in the event that Democrats win the next election.

Stealth Authoritarianism in Tunisia

According to Al Jazeera, Tunisia’s January 2026 sentencing of two journalists to three year prison terms for allegedly “spreading false news" illustrates the broader pattern of democratic erosion under president Kais Saied. Once widely regarded as the only democratic...

AI as Democratic Erosion by Proxy: Trump, Synthetic Media, and the Normalization of Anti-Pluralism

Donald Trump’s use of AI-generated media, particularly content that fabricates or manipulates the speech and actions of political opponents, constitutes a form of democratic erosion by proxy: it does not directly dismantle democratic institutions, but it degrades the...

Reclassifying Bureaucratic Positions: How Trump’s New Rule Threatens Democracy

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

On February 6, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management released a rule authorizing the reclassification of tens of thousands of “policy-influencing” positions within the...

“When the Wolf is Beyond Reproach: An Exploration of Stealth Authoritarianism in America”

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Photo by NASA: www.unsplash.com “When the Wolf is Beyond Reproach: An Exploration of Stealth Authoritarianism in America” Stealth Authoritarianism: How Will We Know? Over...

Democratic Backsliding in the 2025 Tanzanian Presidential Election

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In the past year, Tanzania has been dealing with tensions surrounding their presidential election in October. There have been claims of election tampering, insurgency, and suppression of the...

Italy Through the Lens of Democratic Erosion

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Are We Still Living in a WEIRD World? In the last decade, the world has witnessed a growing instability of democratic institutions in countries considered to be consolidated democracies–the...

Stealth Authoritarianism in El Salvador

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In our assigned reading by Olán Varol, he describes his theory of “stealth authoritarianism” as a way that “the new generation of authoritarians cloak repressive measures under the mask of law,...

How The White House Takeover of the Press Pool Threatens Democracy

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University, Universities

Since its creation in 1914, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has managed and coordinated a rotating press pool that is allotted coverage to White House briefings. Under this...

Executive Aggrandizement and Media Control Under Giorgia Meloni

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University, Universities

Access to public broadcasting and media freedom are essential pillars of a functioning democracy, not only as information outlets for the electorate, but also as a check on government through public...

Border Politics and the Expansion of Executive Power

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Immigration has remained one of the most politically charged issues in the United States. Over the past year, debates over border enforcement, asylum restrictions, and federal deployments have...

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DOGE and the Mask of “Reform”: Stealth Authoritarianism in Action Once Again

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In early 2025, President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his specialized advisory initiative led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Its stated...

Israel, A Democracy?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Israel is frequently described as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” yet when evaluated through the lens of democratic theory, this claim is quite absurd. Israel should not and have never been...

Enemies of Italy: How does Giorgia Meloni Threaten Democracy in Italy?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

As tensions rise in Italy with a recent security decree and protests against the Winter Olympic Games, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to reveal the potential threat she poses to...