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.

These blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

In Illinois, Donors Narrowed Democracy… Again

The 2026 primaries in Illinois depict how large-scale outside spending legally reshapes candidate viability at the nomination stage, narrowing democratic choice without altering the formal mechanics of voting.

What a shrunken Congress means for democracy in America

Congress has shirked its constitutional duty to stand up to the presidency. This has dire consequences for our democracy.

Where are our Leaders of ’16? The Need for a New Sovereign Republic

Is the UK eroding Northern Irelands democracy?

Unraveling Mexico’s Democratic Backsliding: Navigating the AMLO Presidency and the Looming Shadow of His Populism

Apr 10, 2024 | Georgia State University

Andres Manuel López Obrador's presidency significantly shifted Mexico's political landscape. Elected in 2018 with a promise of transformative change under the MORENA party,...

The “Right” to Vote in the South

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes in the world, leaving the right to vote in the United States under siege. One of the pandemic’s most significant impacts will be on the...

A Crisis of Legitimacy for Democracy in Mali

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

Malian democracy is facing a crisis of legitimacy. Or perhaps, more accurately, Mali is no longer a democracy but it faced a crisis of legitimacy - before the recent coup. The question remains if...

The Trump Presidency: An Incremental Retrogression Towards Authoritarianism

Oct 14, 2020 | Brown University

On September 23, 2020, Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power in the event that he loses the 2020 election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The Trump Presidency has been...

The Criminalization of Dissent: Alarming Signs of Democratic Backsliding in Hong Kong

Oct 14, 2020 | Brown University

A subtle revision to official media guidelines has caused an outcry over the state of democracy in Hong Kong. On Wednesday September 23rd, the Hong Kong police force announced their decision to...

Democratic Breakdown Turns Violent in Venezuela

Oct 14, 2020 | University of Georgia

The sweeping reforms of Hugo Chávez not only initiated democratic breakdown within Venezuela, but also signaled a rise in opposition against the increasingly authoritarian regime that remains...

There Is No Democracy Without Reparations

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

The United States is not a democracy. Though some tout the US as a beacon of representative democracy in the world where economic prosperity is all but guaranteed to those who seek it, those people...

Lebanon Ongoing Crisis

Oct 14, 2020 | University of Georgia

On October 13, 1990, major factions all around Lebanon who have been trying to seize control of the country since 1975, signed a historic peace deal between each other. Throughout Lebanon’s history...

Trump’s Proud Boys Invocation Signals Escalation in Authoritarianism

Oct 13, 2020 | University of Georgia

The president’s recent invocation of The Proud Boys at the presidential debate is an escalation in the erosion of democratic norms by appealing directly to a violent street politics group. This...

American Democracy, Be Thankful Trump Isn’t a Real Economic Populist

Oct 13, 2020 | Brown University

As President Trump’s authoritarian tendencies have pushed the U.S. into a period of democratic uncertainty unrivaled in its modern history, it feels as though the situation has regressed to a level...