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.

Fighting Fake News: Lessons from the World’s Top Target

2018 was a year of awakening in Taiwan. Two high-profile events threw the consequences of fake news into relief. First, Su Chii-cherng, the envoy to Osaka for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, took his own life in September 2018 after false reports about him...

Can Democracies Wait Another 2,500 Years to Meet Today’s Needs?

In 500 BC, during Athens' golden age of democracy, the voting age was set at 18. Over 2,500 years later, this threshold remains the same in the vast majority (90%) of countries. However, as democracies grapple with rising populism, authoritarianism, marginalization of...

Présidence Impériale: Executive Aggrandizement in Macron’s France

Amidst significant challenges to France’s democracy, President Emmanuel Macron has ignored democratic norms and abused constitutional articles to expand his own power—periling France’s democracy.

Calling for Local Engagement: The Ohio Democratic Party Phone Bank

Ohio State University

For the last two weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have volunteered for the Ohio Democratic Party’s phone bank, speaking with local candidates across the state and...

Rallying for Democracy: Ohio’s 2024 Senate Race

Ohio State University

I was eager to attend the rally in Columbus, Ohio, where Senator Sherrod Brown and his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, looked to mobilize voters on the first day of...

Fall of democratic dreams in Hong Kong

Salem State University

The date is May 23rd, 2023, and the dreams of a democratic future for the citizens of Hong Kong is one step closer to ending. The Civic Party of Hong Kong disbanded due to harassment from Beijing’s...

Netanyahu’s Antidemocratic Reforms

Northeastern University

Background Info: Israel in its modern state is a parliamentary democratic state that holds free and fair elections with various parties offering its citizens ease in interacting with their...

Recent Polish Elections signal a shift from populism potentially across Europe back to democracy.

Salem State University

On October 15th, 2023, Poland held parliamentary elections. The rightwing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) won 194 seats (35.38% of the vote), while the Civic Coalition (KO), led by former...

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

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 pro-Kremlin, quasi-paramilitary,...

Do Competing Foreign Interests Dissuade Democratic Progress?

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 they believed would...

Scapegoating and Civil Liberties: How the Ugandan Anti-LGBTQ Bill is Dragging Down Democracy

Northeastern University

“Something evil has been put into society. We would be attacked, we would not be safe, Uganda is not safe”, says Diane, a young Ugandan woman forced to flee the country due to the LGBTQ violence....

American Democracy and the Censuring of Rashida Tlaib

Northeastern University

On November 7th, in a 234-188 vote, the United States House of Representatives voted to censure Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib following Tlaib’s comments on the Israel-Hamas war. Twenty-two Democrats...

Ballot Initiatives: Lessons from Ohio’s November Elections

Northeastern University

On Tuesday, November 7, voters in Ohio went to the polls and voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution and legalize recreational marijuana use (Issue 1 and Issue 2 on the...

Media Repression in Mexico: Why Mexico is the Deadliest Country to be a Journalist

University of Memphis

Media repression threatens the civil liberties of the public and journalists. Freedom of the press is an important right that should be protected for anyone seeking a career in journalism. The right...

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