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.

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy?

Israel’s suggested judicial reforms pose a risk to democratic checks and balances by undermining the independence of the judiciary, centralizing executive authority, and potentially weakening democratic principles, similar to what has been observed in countries like Poland.

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...

Populist Reforms in Mexico

Dec 6, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Another populist attempts to strengthen their power through eliminating electoral institutions in Mexico. Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has used his power in...

The Republican Party Has a Viktor Orbán Problem

Dec 5, 2022 | Skidmore College

On August 4, 2022, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán spoke at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas. CPAC is a...

Political Apathy and Us: How a Culture of Disinformation is Corroding Democracy

Feb 12, 2020 | Georgia State University

Featured image courtesy of Zachary Crockett/Vox; Photo via Getty Images. Everywhere you turn, the headlines are waiting. Politicians are turning to social media to appeal to voters at an...

The Iowa Caucus Causes Concerns in Election Legitimacy

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

The Iowa Caucus on February 4, 2020, encountered some technical issues causing concern over whether the results are accurate or not. There has been a request for a recanvass and if that recanvass...

How Trump’s Recurrent Invalidating Rhetoric is Derailing Democracy

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

You’ve heard it in the headlines, on social media, and maybe even from the mouths of your friends -- “Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous.” But what mechanisms does polarizing language actually trigger,...

Are Boris Johnson’s Actions Surrounding Brexit a Cause for Worry?

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

An attack on the freedom of the press and can easily be seen as an attack on democracy. Of the many key features of truly democratic countries, freedom of the press is often viewed as essential. In...

Democratic Erosion in India: The World’s Largest Democracy No More?

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

India is considered by most to be the world’s largest democracy with a voting population of about 900 million people; however, since the election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in 2014, there...

Wilted Democratization in the Persian Gulf: Iraq

Feb 12, 2020 | Boston University

by Nick Haller The Persian Gulf has been a region of intense western scrutiny over the past half century. With the once Westernized cultures of populations in Iraq reverting to landscapes closely...

Is India Turning into an Authoritarian State?

Feb 11, 2020 | Georgia State University

Even though India has had an established constitution for over seventy years which should protect all its citizens with inalienable rights, a most recent bill has been pushed and can be seen as an...

Voting Through Self-Interest is a Primary Driver of Democratic Erosion

Feb 11, 2020 | Boston University

I am an American citizen, white, straight and male. All of these factors would, by any metric, make me more predisposed to expressing my political values through a generally more conservative lens....

The Wake of Impeachment: A Spotlight on Splintering Democratic Norms & Dual Legitimacy

Feb 11, 2020 | Boston University

The lasting impacts of President Trump’s impeachment are still emerging, notably in ways that threaten our already malnourished democratic norms. Democratic norms are the unspoken rules governing...