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.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

Turkey’s New “Media Disinformation Law” is a Threat to democracy

Jan 5, 2023 | Sabanci University

Turkey has recently enacted a new law on media disinformation, which has sparked widespread concern and criticism from human rights organizations, media freedom advocates,...

Hungary: From Championship of Democratization to Hybrid Regime of Electoral Autocracy

Jan 5, 2023 | Sabanci University

Once described as the champion of the third wave of democratization in Europe, Hungary has become a pioneer of democratic backsliding. The concept of democratic backsliding...

Brian Kemp: The Mastermind Behind Voter Suppression by Adriana Moreno

May 6, 2020 | Georgia State University, Georgia State University Perimeter College

When you think about Democratic Erosion, you usually think about countries, but the threat has always been at home and polarizing at the state level. We have reached a new troubling time in our...

For Hungary, the Coronavirus is a Chance to Secure Ultimate Power by Cristen Canavino

May 6, 2020 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

For most people, it is virtually impossible to view the Coronavirus pandemic as anything but catastrophic, but for Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, the Coronavirus provides him with a unique...

Virtual Town Hall Meeting on the Battle against COVID – 19

May 5, 2020 | Suffolk University

COVID – 19 has been dominating the news cycle as of late on the national scale, but what efforts are being made locally to combat this virus? Virtual town halls have been the way to go as of late...

COVID-19 through the Eyes of an Employee of a Retirement Community: What We Are Doing

May 5, 2020 | Suffolk University

In a small city of rural New Hampshire, a small retirement community is home to over a hundred senior citizens. As COVID-19 expands across the world, leaving no small town untouched, everyone is...

Is COVID-19 the Savior of Democracy?

May 4, 2020 | Suffolk University

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a future marked by economic deterioration, social unrest, and volatile public health issues, and the United States needs its citizens to become more civically...

Death (of Democracy) by Mainstream Media by Tory Bouchillon

May 4, 2020 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

If there is one thing history teaches us, it is that societies are more vulnerable during a time of crisis. Widespread panic is the quickest way to make people give up their rights voluntarily, and...

“Let My People Go Surfing ”- Social Distancing

May 3, 2020 | Suffolk University

Can Coronavirus Lead to Terrorism in a Consociational Democracy? Case of Lebanon

May 1, 2020 | Bilkent University

For a long time, Lebanon has been synonymous for civil conflicts and sectarian clientelism; Lebanese citizens never had a high level of solidarity and sympathy across their various sects and...

Ramadan and COVID19 – troublesome times for Niger

May 1, 2020 | Georgia State University

Niger had already been grappling with insecurity and poverty, not it has been dealt severe blows stemming by the coronavirus. Primarily, Niger is one of the poorest nations in the world. Many...