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.

Democratic Erosion in Chile (1963-1975)

Chile between the period of 1964 and 1975 represents a great example of how democracy can be eroded through both internal failure, but mainly through the planned efforts of global superpowers. This blog argues that democratic erosion and the eventual collapse in Chile...

Two Presidents Walk into a Room: Daniel Noboa and Donald Trump’s Relationship

Exploring President Noboa and Donald Trump’s relationship through a framework of democratic erosion via militarization in Ecuador.

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

Democracy Hijacked: Sudan’s Descent from Prospective Democracy into Authoritarian Rule

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

Sudan was a country with a prosperous democratic future in 2019, yet today the nation remains worse off than it initially began. With significant military violence and a...

El Salvador’s Security Crackdown: A Path to Authoritarianism?

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

In the last two years, El Salvador has witnessed an unprecedented state-led crackdown on gang violence under President Nayib Bukele. The policies, which include mass...

Youth of Today: Diverse, Interconnected, and a Driving Force for Change

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

The influence of the youth in activist movements is not a novel phenomenon. Movements in the United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, and many other countries have seen youth at the forefront of their...

How the American Left Hurts Itself in the Battle for Democracy

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

Democracy in the United States is slowly collapsing under the weight of hyper-partisanship and demagoguery. Enabled by the Republican Party, Donald Trump has placed an incredible amount of strain on...

Misinformation Threats via Social Media Bots in the U.S.

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Georgia

Fake news could be one of the most potentially harmful things to democracy. With the presence of social media platforms growing more and more within the field of politics each day, there has...

Hartsfield’s Landing

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

In a recent reunion episode of The West Wing, the original cast got together in an empty Los Angeles theater to re-enact “Hartsfield’s Landing” - an episode from the third season of the show on the...

Young Citizens Need to Have a Say in the U.S Government

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

By Porscha Maurer October 13, 2020 Becoming a Suffolk Votes Ambassador at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts was one of the most enlightening experiences for any 18-year-old who is...

Voter Suppression in the 21st Century

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? Lately, democracy and democratic ideals, have become synonyms for popular legislation rather than actual democracy procedures. So that begs the question, what is democracy...

Young People and Politics: How to Increase Youth Civic Engagement

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

Who is voting in the 2020 presidential election? Will voter norms continue this year, or will things change? In this blog post, I talk about my experience with politics as a college student and how...

Pandemics and Poor Planning Create Cocktail for Chaos

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

Faced with sudden challenges due to the pandemic, along with circulating misinformation, voters are left confused ahead of the November election....

A Debate or T.V. Show?

Oct 18, 2020 | Suffolk University

The year is 2020. Not only have we lost people, but we’ve also lost the will to elect sensible candidates for our country. Now now, I know it’s controversial, but who would I be if I didn’t touch on...