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...

Hungary: Europe’s Electoral Autocracy

Jan 1, 2023 | Sabanci University

Democratic backsliding refers to the decline or reversal of democratic principles and practices within a political system. This can be caused by the weakening of democratic...

New strategies for avoiding electoral defeat: manoeuvre prior and after elections on the example of Turkey’s

Jan 1, 2023 | Sabanci University

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a practitioner of new authoritarian methods, initiated in the aftermath of the 2015 parliamentary elections a new concept of authoritarian exercise of...

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...

A response: Online Surveillance and How it Degrades Democracy by Elena Hoang

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

In their opinion piece, “How Your Phone Betrays Democracy”, on The New York Times, Charlie Warzel and Stuart Thompson examine how our extensive use of technology can threaten our country’s...

Will Covid-19 Be The End of Trump?

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

In analyzing the effects of COVID-19 upon the nation, one thing is clear to economists: the virus has only exacerbated preexisting inequality. Class divides in America are widening—how will this...

The End of the Israeli Election Boom by Rahmat Rashid

Apr 24, 2020 | Rollins College

On April 20th, 2020, a large step was taken by the two major political parties in Israel, a step towards ending the highly polarized series of elections that Israeli citizens had to face over the...

Risking our Lives for Donald Trump’s Benefit

Apr 23, 2020 | Rollins College

There is no doubt that the coronavirus has severely altered the course of our day to day lives. Whether the pandemic has impacted us in the loss of a friend or family member or simply has us forced...

Republican Efforts to Inhibit Democratic Voters

Apr 23, 2020 | Rollins College

The Coronavirus outbreak has devastatingly shocked our nation, causing the economy to temporarily shut down, sending students home from their designated universities, raising unemployment to...

When The Pen Fails: The Macedonian Conflict of 2001

Apr 23, 2020 | Georgia State University

Image retrieved form: https://www.istockphoto.com/il/video/4k-macedonia-flag-crisis-war-fire-gm1019157286-273912350 The Country of Macedonia, now North Macedonia following a name dispute with...

The Right’s Latest Strategy to Divide America is Failing

Apr 23, 2020 | Rollins College

The recent series of rallies protesting social distancing measures across the country have attracted the attention of countless media outlets. The rallies, which are reminiscent of the Tea Party...