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.

The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse's presidency marked a dangerous shift from Haiti's already shaky democracy to overt authoritarianism. Delayed elections, unchecked abuse of executive power, and violent suppression of resistance became the norm. By the time of his assassination in 2021,...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a negative impact on democracy as a whole. Such a system depends on the free transmission of...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have turned against one another. As both camps sling disinformation against each other, the...

Federalism as A Tool for Conflict Resolution in Myanmar’s Democracy

Oct 4, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Historical Background Myanmar is a country of diversity in terms of ethnicities, languages, and religions. There are an estimated 135 indigenous ethnic groups, or more...

“Positive Populism” in Electoral Campaign Overshadowed by Post-Election Reality in Slovenia

Sep 22, 2023 | Sciences Po Paris

In the 2022 parliamentary elections, Janez Janša, a right-wing populist leader of the SDS party was defeated by Robert Golob and his Freedom Movement, a new party on the...

How Current Incumbents Are Using the COVID- 19 Pandemic To Suppress Voters

Oct 13, 2020 | University of Georgia

The manner in which states show democratic erosion tendencies differs today than in the past. Democratic erosion today is much more gradual. According to Nancy Bermeo, pre- election day...

Coronavirus’ Chinese Paradox: Crushing or Renewing Hopes for Democratization?

Oct 13, 2020 | Brown University

In the past twenty years, the world has been asking itself “will China democratize”? However, the Chinese Communist Party under President Xi has been doing so well that the debate had died down…...

A Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence Exacerbated by COVID-19

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

While COVID-19 has transformed life internationally, a “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence is occurring simultaneously (Godoy). Social isolation, as a result of self-quarantine and government...

The Culprit in Chile: The Living Legacy of U.S. Imperialism

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

On October 2, a police officer pushed a teenage protestor off a bridge in Santiago, Chile. This is only the most recent act of brutality in the now yearlong pro-democracy protests in Chile. Citizens...

Reshuffling “Bad Apples”: Mexico’s Issue With Security

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and his promises of maintaining security have been minimal at best as Mexico reached an all-time high of homicides in 2019 and has experienced recent increased...

Beyond Electoral Fraud: Rooting Bolivia’s Coup in a History of Clientelism and Repression

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

The Bolivian coup d’etat against Evo Morales was not, and should not be examined solely as, the result of a fraudulent election. To suggest this erases the deep entrenchment of Bolivia’s neo-fascist...

The Necessity for Responsible Reporting on Crime in Mexico

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

You may not realize it, but the news media plays an enormous role in shaping how the public views and responds to crime. As Vincent Sacco states in his paper, “Media Constructions of Crime”, the way...

Migrant Caravans, U.S. Intervention, and the Case of Honduras

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

AFP/Getty, October 2018 You have likely come across the striking wide-shot, panoramic depictions of a blurred mass of bodies on the move. Blocking entire roads as far as the eye can see and...

Color, Corruption, and COVID-19: South Africa’s Democratic Balancing Act

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

A nation’s economy contracts by 51% in three months. Blatant corruption severely undermines the legitimacy of a country’s most prominent political party. Racial unrest and an increasingly fraught...