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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

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

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

The Roles of Identity and Affective Polarization in Democratic Erosion

Dec 13, 2022 | University of Denver

Introduction What is the most salient causal explanation for democratic erosion in the U.S.? Is it economic inequality and neoliberal policy? What about the decay of...

The Importance of Non-Voting Youth Involvement

Dec 12, 2022 | Suffolk University

Through most of high school, I thought that the only way to get involved politically was through protests and online movements. It wasn’t until senior year that, after a...

The Internet’s Involvement with Politics

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

On April 19th, 2020, rioters took the streets of state capitals to protest against the state closures due to the novel virus SARS-CoV-2. The infectious disease has caused a nationwide lockdown for...

How President Trump’s response to the stay at home order protestors reflects his political ideology.

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

With the coronavirus pandemic, many states have postponed their primaries election, and of course, the president of the country has been under a lot of pressure with the given situation. It is...

A Positive American Identity Politics

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

In November of 2019, David Leonhardt of the New York Times wrote an article called The Left’s Identity Problem. In it, he discusses the (accurate) forecast of the UK’s Labour Party losing their...

Fake News, Social Identities, and Political Responsibility by Hallie Walker

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

Fake news as a political influence is not a recent development, but partisan differences strengthening in United States democracy paired with increasing distribution through online media outlets has...

Las Vegas Mayor Wanting to use Citizens as COVID-19 Guinea Pigs

Apr 24, 2020 | Suffolk University

Interview of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, hosted by Anderson Cooper for CNN's Newsroom Have people not learned from the Tuskegee experiment which began in 1932? In the past few days, news...

Coronavirus in Nigeria

Apr 24, 2020 | Georgia State University

How the growing pandemic is threatening stability in Africa's largest nation Even though Nigeria still has a relatively low number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of this moment, the chaos that...

Off With His Head! – How Viktor Orban’s new powers lynched Hungarian democracy in one fell swoop.

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

The COVID-19 pandemic has bulldozed its way through even the most powerful nations leaving countless millions unemployed and healthcare systems around the world bursting at the seams. However, to a...

Football and Politics in AKP’s Turkey

Apr 24, 2020 | Bilkent University

Football industry in Turkey has been heavily benefitted by government for distribution of resources in favor of its cronies and also government keeps football under control via these cronies. In...

Opportunities for Democratic Erosion During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

With an unprecedented pandemic, decisions made by governments can lead to further democratic backsliding or open the door for increased democratic resilience. It is obvious that no democracy...