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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

Mar 3, 2025 | The University of Alabama

The growing unpopularity for America providing foreign aid to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia signals a troubling shift towards isolationism. The United States, the...

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

Feb 17, 2025 | Boston University

When President Trump campaigned for a second term in office, he promised to cut what he referred to as government waste, fraud and abuse. He tasked Elon Musk, shortly after...

Democratic Erosion Disguised as COVID-19 Measures in Turkey

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

Turkey is apparently a country with declining democratic performance. The elections, the consolidation of unchecked power in the hands of President Erdogan, widespread corruption among the political...

President Macron’s Tendency to Implement an Authoritarian Political Agenda

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

French street movements occupy the international media since Yellow vests Movements began in 2018. As already known, the movements began over a public discontentment derived from general economic...

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel for Turkey?

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

Turkey has long been dealing with populism, presenting itself as a perfect case study where scholars can work on how populism and democratic backsliding can go hand in hand. President Erdoğan’s...

Autumn Winds of the Hungarian Democracy

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

Eurus, God of the East Wind and Autumn Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary In many parts of the world, rivers of humanity are drying, fruits of globalization perishing, and dictators coming down...

A Shift or Continuation in Tactics on Democratic Backsliding: Hungary under the Populist Rule of Orbán

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

With a reference to the transition paradigm, most democratic transitions have been analyzed within the context of a movement towards democratic transition. It is argued that liberal democracy has...

The Practical Power of the Secret Police in Democratic Erosion

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

Erosions of democracy under authoritarian rulers happen through numerous channels, with an important channel being institutions. Institutions structuralize governance according to the vision of the...

The Right Way of Combatting Democratic Erosion

Dec 13, 2020 | Sabanci University

DEVA | How to fight against a Populist. Deva is a newly formed organization lead by Ali Babacan. A well-experienced politician but also can be defined as a Technocrat who was formerly a Founding...

Moon Jae-In’s Attack on Democracy in South Korea

Dec 12, 2020 | Georgia State University, Georgia State University Perimeter College

Among experts, the notion of democratic backsliding sounds many alarms, given events taking place in South Korea’s current government. As the country gradually phases out the previous authoritarian...

The Fall of Democracy

Dec 11, 2020 | Georgia State University, Georgia State University Perimeter College

Democracy is an ideology that has long endured dating back since the B.C. era and even though it has existed for a long period of time not everyone has had the chance to experience democracy. In...