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.

Doomed From the Start (a Study of National Unity in Serbia)

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

In 2017, Serbian democracy officially reverted to authoritarianism. This comes after the constitution written in 2006 at Serbia’s establishment as an independent state began...

Conflict in Romania’s Double-Executive Government Shows Potential Signs of Democratic Backsliding

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

Prior to the EU summit in June 2012, the Romanian prime minister, Victor Ponta, disregarded a ruling by the Romanian Constitutional Court, which declared the president had...

Is Hungary Still a Democracy?

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

Viktor Orbán states how he is shaping an “illiberal democracy” in Hungary. He claims that “democracy is not necessarily liberal. Just because something is not liberal, it still can be a...

How Jair Bolsonaro’s Presidency Incites Democratic Erosion in Brazil

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

According to political scientist Juan J. Linz, the countries that are most vulnerable to democratic breakdowns are those that are relatively new democracies, and this is no exception for Brazil.[1]...

The Curious Case of Roger Stone

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

For centuries this country has operated on a system of checks and balances, ensuring that the only way democracy endures is through an understanding of each branch’s role and limitation. With the...

Trump’s Abandonment of Democratic Norms

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

Trump has stated in October of 2019 that Joe Biden was “only a good vice president because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama’s ass”, and this is one of many examples of how Trump has...

One Machine, Two Results: The Role of Election Anxiety in the Erosion of American Democracy

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

On November 5th, 2019, Pennsylvania’s Northampton County held elections through digital voting machines manufactured by Election Systems & Software. The machines, called the...

Democratic Erosion in the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucus

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

On the night of February 3, 2020, Democratic voters across the United States looked to Iowa to set the stage for the 2020 Democratic primaries. Iowa has the unique position of being first in the...

Recent Impeachment Proceedings Another Are Another Blow to American Democracy

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

The 2020 election of Donald J Trump was the result of a democracy that has never worked for all Americans and doesn’t uphold the rights or serve the interests of every American citizen, but Trump’s...

Was the Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump Anti-Democratic?

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

The term “constitutional crisis” has been used to classify an array of American democratic features. Any time a legal question, a controversial decision or executive order is in the news, the term...

How Bernie Sanders’ Presidential Bid Is A Symptom of Democratic Backsliding

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

While Democrats worry about the possibility of another four years of Donald Trump in the middle of a crowded Democratic Primary with multiple candidates making strides to clinch the Democratic...