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.

Poland’s Fall to Autocracy Brings Warning Signs to The United States

Nov 21, 2022 | Boston University

In 2020 Andrzej Duda won Poland's presidential election with 51.2 percent of the vote. This very narrow margin unveiled the clear divide of polarization throughout their...

Youth Stimulates Youth: The Importance of Youth Leadership

Nov 21, 2022 | Suffolk University

How often do you feel disengaged and confused by the current political sphere and agenda within the country? Many may even feel disgusted by the word politics itself. Don’t...

Netanyahu: Pushing the Limits of Democracy

Oct 15, 2019 | Salem State University

The September 2019 parliamentary elections in Israel raise concern about the future of democracy in the country. The Blue and White party, created just this year, ran neck and neck with the...

The 2019 elections in Israel: Evidence of democratic backsliding?

Jun 7, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

On May, 9, 2019, elections to the Israeli parliament—the Knesset—were once again conducted. By and large, as on all previous occasions, they were competitive, free, and fair. During the campaigns,...

Rhetoric, democratic backsliding, and Netanyahu’s 2019 election campaign by Tal Been

Jun 6, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

An election campaign is of great importance to a country’s political culture, affording an opportunity to examine the behavior of political actors and their influence upon public discourse. In this...

The 2019 elections and the boundaries of the political space by Tally Keigen and Noa Shemesh

Jun 6, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

One of the most fundamental values in a democracy is the right of political participation, derived the right to vote and be elected. The “paradox of a defensive democracy” raises the question of the...

The exclusion of the Arab minority by Daniel Padon

Jun 6, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

The 2019 elections shed light on the schism between Israel’s Jewish majority and its Arab citizens, who constitute roughly 16% of all eligible voters (CBS 2019). A good starting point is the...

The case of Democratic Erosion in the Ivory Coast

Jun 2, 2019 | University of Chicago

The Ivory Coast under the 1998 regime of president Bédié reflects the effects of democratic erosion as described by both Bermeo and Levitsky and Ziblatt. For historical context. the regime of...

Democracy in Africa: Is the Use of ‘Erosion’ Appropriate?

Jun 2, 2019 | University of Chicago

In this class we learn terminology and methodology that helps us understand mechanisms that cause the erosion of democracy in different specific scenarios. Through this we can have a bigger...

The Suspected Role of Russian Money in German Democratic Erosion by Shiva Kangeyan

Jun 1, 2019 | University of Chicago

The general consensus is that Russia is at present an illiberal democracy. What is also at present occurring is a wave of right-wing populism and democratic erosion in Western Europe in the US. I...

2019 EU Elections: Is this the Beginning of the End for Democracy? by Thomas McLees

Jun 1, 2019 | University of Chicago

On May 26th polls for the European Union’s ninth parliamentary elections closed all over Europe. As votes were counted and results were posted, it became more and more apparent that there was a...