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.

In the U.S. and Western Europe, similar immigration backlash is a symptom of two different problems.

Dec 9, 2024 | Brown University

As the United States and Western European countries confront historic surges in migration, the backlash-fueled success of far-right parties has increasingly been...

Time to Say Au Revoir to Laïcité

Dec 9, 2024 | Brown University

For the past three decades, one article of clothing has captivated the attention of the fashion capital of the world: headscarves. From Marine Le Pen to Emmanuel Macron, no...

Corruption, Economics, and Catastrophe: Democratic Erosion in Brazil

Apr 19, 2024 | William Jewell College

Today in Brazil, corruption charges could undermine democracy. While the democracy holds competitive elections and sits on a 72% "free" scale, the country holds high when it comes to polarization,...

Orbán and Trump: Faces of Dying Democracies.

Apr 19, 2024 | Ursinus College

Donald Trump has been compared to a lot throughout his mediocre rise into politics. Even during the infancy of his 2016 election, Trump was being compared to dictators, tyrants, and demagogues...

Brazil’s Political Maze: Navigating Turbulence and Corruption

Apr 19, 2024 | Ursinus College

In recent years, Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has found himself under heightened scrutiny due to ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption. These investigations, which...

Planting Roots in Shifting Sands: Weak Parties and the Quest for Democratic Consolidation in the Philippines

Apr 17, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

No other comparison on Philippine politicians is as aesthetically pleasing as being called “butterflies”. This is not to say they are graceful or resilient, but rather that they switch parties as...

The Crisis in South Sudan

Apr 16, 2024 | Ursinus College

South Sudan is currently a failing democracy. After South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on July 9th, 2011, they have been experiencing a shaky consolidation of democracy. I believe this is...

A Continent in Contrast: Mapping Political Polarization in Africa

Apr 15, 2024 | William Jewell College

Political polarization stereotypically holds a negative connotation, especially within an entire country. However, when we hold a conversation about an entire continent, does the preconception...

The Perception Gap in the United States and How it Causes Polarization

Apr 14, 2024 | Georgia State University

The United States has faced increasing polarization in its politics in the past few decades. Politics has become more emotionally charged, which is known as affective polarization according to Joel...

How the South China Sea Dispute Jeopardizes Philippine Democracy

Apr 14, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

China is flexing its military muscles like never before. As things stand, there seems to be no end in sight to tensions in the South China Sea. In early March, Chinese vessels collided with a...

American Xenophobic Populism: Stopping a Manufactured Disease

Apr 13, 2024 | William Jewell College

Most scholars who follow American democratic erosion begin with social polarization and attempt to find some sociological argument for it. Some thinkers, such as Kathy Cramer, argue that...