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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

Netanyahu’s Not-So-Stealthy Authoritarianism

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Long considered to be the “Middle East’s only democracy,” Israel as it stands today is a shell of the idealistic Jewish utopia its Zionist founder once envisioned. The...

Erosion of Taboos: The Dangers of the AfD Party

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Less than two weeks away from the crucial elections in Germany, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has endorsed Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate of the far-right...

The Liberal Dilemma

Oct 28, 2020 | Georgia State University

It has long been established that the two-party system is here to stay. A historical precedent, starting with the federalist debate, set the long reigning two-party system. With no shortage of...

The Resurrection of Mas as a Step Towards Democratic Stability in Bolivia

Oct 27, 2020 | University of Chicago

Last weekend, on October 18th, Luis Arce of the Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas) party won the Bolivian presidential election by a comfortable margin and Jeanine Anez, the evangelical leader of the...

Top of the Pops: The Populist Reality Show Star with the Lowest Approval

Oct 26, 2020 | Georgia State University

How can we classify the self-pitched-Playboy-Cover-model son of a wealthy, racist real estate developer as a populist when he is neither like the people he claims to represent nor does he enact...

Uprising in Belarus: Protesting Is a Universal Language

Oct 26, 2020 | Georgia State University

In 1966, just two short years before his life would be taken by the infuriated opposition, Martin Luther King, Jr. said in an interview, when asked about “Black Power,” that “a riot is the language...

The Mansfield Blue Wave

Oct 25, 2020 | Suffolk University

Democracy is at its most fragile during times of war, terrorism, and elections. The United States just happens to be at a crossroads of all three. With constant war being funded in the Middle East...

Misperception Is Reality: The Psychology of Political Polarization in the United States

Oct 25, 2020 | Suffolk University

Americans are not as polarized as we think we are. A new report from Beyond Conflict, a non-profit that leverages research from cognitive and behavioral science to address issues of conflict...

BLM Insight from Co-Founder Opal Tometi: How A Hashtag Led To A Worldwide Race Movement

Oct 25, 2020 | Suffolk University

One of the brains behind the Black Lives Matter movement and Human rights activist Opal Tometi was invited by NYU for a webinar hosted by professors Pamela Newkirk and Deborah Wills on October 7,...

Exploring the Structural Causes Behind Hungary’s Backslide from Democracy

Oct 25, 2020 | University of Chicago

Earlier in 2020, while the pandemic dominated news headlines across the world, the NGO freedom house pushed out a silent but stunning report. One deeply alarming takeaway - there are now less...

Social-Political Distance: Problematic Partisanship in Remote Campaigns

Oct 25, 2020 | Suffolk University

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated weaknesses present in democracies across the world. Freedom House reported that the condition of democracy and human rights has worsened in 80 countries, much...