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.

Identity Survival Amongst Democratically Eroded Ethno-Religious Conflicts

When politics between religious governments turn into a contest for identity survival, democracy institutions stop being referees and start becoming weapons.

Poland’s Democratic Decline Was Reversible

In 2015, Poland experienced a significant decrease in democracy. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), under Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s leadership, secured victories in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. In a matter of months, the government acted to diminish the...

Selective Support of the Courts: How Elite Driven Narratives in Brazil Undermine the Courts Perceived Legitimacy

Misinformation: The Role it Plays in the Persistence of the 2020 Election

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

Democratic stability not only relies on fair elections, but on the shared belief of their legitimacy. The controversy surrounding the 2020 United States presidential...

What Peter Magyar’s Win Means for Democracy in Hungary

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

“We have liberated Hungary and have taken back our country,” said Peter Magyar, announcing his landmark victory against strongman Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán’s...

“When the Wolf is Beyond Reproach: An Exploration of Stealth Authoritarianism in America”

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Photo by NASA: www.unsplash.com “When the Wolf is Beyond Reproach: An Exploration of Stealth Authoritarianism in America” Stealth Authoritarianism: How Will We Know? Over the past few months, the...

How Hybrid Regimes Erode Democracies: The Philippines

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

The current state of democracy in the Philippines demonstrates how hybrid regimes develop through executive power expansion, legal system manipulation, and attacks on fundamental institutions such...

The Ongoing Battle of Electoral Legitimacy in the United States

https://democratic-erosion.org/2026/02/13/the-ongoing-battle-of-electoral-legitimacy-in-the-united-states/

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University, Uncategorized

Americans have seen changing tides in the last ten years, marked by what many call a rise of a populist, a global pandemic, changes in mutual tolerance and forbearance of political opponents, as...

Poland Shows How Democracy Can Bend, But Not Break

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

The people of Poland have witnessed democratic norms erode over the past decade, marked by the absence of credible courts, judicial collapse, and a lack of accountability. These actions were carried...

Ongoing Democratic Erosion in Brazil After Bolsonaro

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Brazil’s democracy, as of recent years, has faced significant erosion as a result of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s actions as a semi-loyalist who frequently rejected political norms, two of...

The Deeper Implications of Trump’s Political Labeling

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Most people who have been keeping up with American politics over the past few years are familiar with Donald Trump’s creative language for his opposition. He titled Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe”, Kamala...

Takaichi’s Era: Democracy on the Edge?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Japan has long been regarded as a consolidated parliamentary democracy since the post–World War II constitutional reforms, a status reaffirmed by its classification as a “liberal democracy” in the...

Orbán and the Courts: Why Hungary’s Democracy Is at Risk

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Orbán and the Courts: Why Hungary’s Democracy Is at Risk Is Hungary’s Democracy Still Alive? If you’ve been following European politics, you might have seen news about Viktor Orbán and Budapest’s...

Democratic Backsliding in the 2025 Tanzanian Presidential Election

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In the past year, Tanzania has been dealing with tensions surrounding their presidential election in October. There have been claims of election tampering, insurgency, and suppression of the...