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.

Election-Deniers as Political Officials, American Democracy in Peril

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

The democratic institutions of the United States of America are in a highly precarious position. In the 2020 presidential election Donald Trump tested the guardrails of...

Sign of the Times: Viktor Orban’s Anti-Democratic and Xenophobic Anti-Immigration Campaign

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

Across the bucolic Hungarian countryside, in cities and villages both large and small, massive billboards and signs dot the landscape. Upon closer inspection, these signs...

Sanders Rallies Up Boston

Mar 5, 2020 | Suffolk University

Over thirteen thousand people gathered around a passionate, hand-talking Bernie Sanders in Boston Common on Saturday, February 29th, proving Sanders’ worthiness of democratic frontrunner in the...

Is Democracy the Answer to Climate Change?

Mar 5, 2020 | Suffolk University

The political importance of climate change concerns democratization directly and indirectly. A firm proposition in political science is that economic development with equitable sharing of the...

Mar 5, 2020 | Suffolk University

Take action on climate change

Mar 4, 2020 | Suffolk University

It is easy to think climate change is not a big deal. Most people tend to worry less when it comes to climate change but it is actually affecting us every second. Why is action needed? There is...

Bernie: A New High for Democratic Socialism

Mar 4, 2020 | Suffolk University

The Bernie Sanders rally was on February 29th in the Boston Common. I saw a wave of progressive democratic socialist showing up by the hundreds and thousands. The total show was around 8,000 and the...

The consequence of Bernie’s appeal to younger generations? A more democratic America.

Mar 4, 2020 | Suffolk University

The younger generations of adults and students were a predominant appearance in the public that attended the recent rally of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders at the Boston Common. This is...

Can public opinion help pass legislation to slow down global warming on the state level? Yes.

Mar 4, 2020 | Suffolk University

Many people across the United States have lost their faith in the government and are convinced that their voices don’t matter to those in power, so why care? We should care because democracies live...

Conflict Erodes Democracy in Niger

Mar 2, 2020 | Georgia State University

The security system in Niger has weakened due to ongoing conflicts. The absence of a stable government prevents the successful distribution of public services, strong democracy, and peacekeeping...

Peru’s Reformer President Undermines Democratic Norms

Mar 1, 2020 | American University

When Martín Vizcarra first assumed the Peruvian presidency in 2018, he appeared to be the unlikely hero to restore the nation’s faith in democracy. Vizcarra inherited the office of President...