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...

Protesting in Mitch McConnell’s Backyard

Dec 17, 2022 | Suffolk University

On June 24th, 2022 the United States Supreme Court issued one of the most controversial decisions in its two centuries of existence. Supreme Court - Source: Unsplash This...

South Korea’s President Moves Forward with Plan to Fulfill Anti-Feminist Campaign Promises

Dec 17, 2022 | Suffolk University

The Blue House, Home of South Korea's Executive Office - Source: Unsplash The success of Yoon’s appeals to anti-feminism reflects the rise of reactionary gender politics...

COVID-19 Enables Netanyahu’s Continued Deterioration of Israeli Democracy

Apr 5, 2020 | Boston University

Israel has made international headlines over the past year, following three consecutive inconclusive elections and increasing fears of prime minister Netanyahu's autocratic tendencies. The state of...

The Death of the World’s Largest Democracy

Apr 5, 2020 | Rollins College

On the world stage, Islamophobia came to prominence after the United States of America declared the War on Terror in 2001. In spite of the popular perception that this was where Islamophobia in fact...

Money in Politics: The Effort to Revitalize the Mid-South Coliseum and Fairgrounds by Hanna McCarthy

Apr 4, 2020 | University of Memphis

*Photo by Toby Sells, Creative Commons Zero License On February 18, 2020 the Memphis City Council held a public meeting in which one significant agenda item was to discuss development plans for the...

The Populist Parties

Apr 4, 2020 | University of Memphis

The Recent Democratic Primary Debate in South Carolina and the success of Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are showing signs that the Democratic Party is beginning to split between moderates and...

India’s actions in Kashmir: Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy

Apr 4, 2020 | Georgia State University

Courtesy of Kashmir Global Kashmir is one of the most militarized places on Earth, caught between two nuclear-armed powers. In recent years, unrest in India-administered Kashmir is frequent and has...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address: The Heartbeat Bill Promotes Polarization

Apr 2, 2020 | University of Memphis

On Thursday, February 13, 2020, Tennessee’s Republican governor Bill Lee delivered his State of the State address for West Tennessee at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. While his address focused...

Have you ever been to a city council meeting?

Apr 2, 2020 | University of Memphis

The seat of government for an entire city considering the passage or failure of new ideas in a meeting that is open to the public…has an audience of 12-15 citizens? Sounds crazy, but it is true. To...

Vladimir Putin: A President for Life?

Apr 2, 2020 | Boston University

2024. The year Vladimir Putin is supposed to step down from power after more than two decades of serving as both President and Prime Minister. After rising to power in the 1990s as a...

Is America Experiencing Democratic Backsliding?

Mar 30, 2020 | Georgia State University

Trump’s presidency has been questioned by many since the beginning. However, it is the recent impeachment trial that has forced more and more people to ask the question if democracy is being...