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.

The Case of Bolivia: When Democratic Backsliding Delivers to the Masses

Nov 6, 2022 | Skidmore College

Over the last two decades, Bolivian democracy has been routinely attacked and undermined by its leftist government. While many have protested the authoritarian actions of...

What Cuba Can Teach the West About Democracy

Nov 6, 2022 | Skidmore College

As the world’s most established democracies flare warning signs of deterioration, perhaps it’s time for a look at liberal democracy’s most fervent critics to inspire...

Lifting The Largest Democracy

May 6, 2019 | Georgia State University

India is the world’s largest democracy with 1.3 billion people, and 900 million registered voters. With so many people, how do they manage to uplift such a large population? India has a...

The one who laughs first laughs best. The Muller report and Barr’s letter.

May 6, 2019 | University of Chicago

After years of investigations, the special counsel Robert Muller send his written report on conspiracy and obstruction to William Barr on March 22, 2019. On March 24, William Barr, the US Attorney...

The Right to and Danger of Appointing Supreme Court Justices by Noa Levin

May 6, 2019 | University of Chicago

On June 27, 2018, now-former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announcedthat he would be retiring from his position at the Supreme Court. In the coming months, the United States would...

The difficult path to democratic rule by Kiara Echavarria

May 6, 2019 | Georgia State University

In Sudan since the outing of president Omar al-Bashir there has been riots of concerned citizens of Sudan to make a change into the steps of democracy. This is a great step as it pertains...

The Source of Fake News: Politicians or Populace? by Renee Colby

May 6, 2019 | University of Chicago

In 2018, social scientists Oscar Barrera, Sergei Guriev, Emeric Henry, and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya conducted an experiment where subjects were shown inaccurate statements made by a political leader...

Democratic Backsliding via an Eroding Middle Class by Kenneth Coleman

May 5, 2019 | University of Chicago

In Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Acemoglu and Robinson present the role of the middle class in the formation and continuity of democracy. Since democracy forms as a "response to a...

The Threat to Voting Rights in Florida by Meghan Ward

May 5, 2019 | University of Chicago

Last November, Florida restored voting rights to 1.4 million of its citizens when it passed Florida Amendment 4, which ended disenfranchisement of felons who had served their time. In a state that...

Bolsonaro’s Brazil: What The Election of Jair Bolsonaro Means for The Future of Democracy by Catherine Browder

May 5, 2019 | Georgia State University

In a world that is constantly evolving, people around the world are turning to leaders who quell their fear of instability and change. Since the creation of government, democratic or otherwise,...

The Spin Zone by Max Krause

May 5, 2019 | University of Chicago

Information accessibility has only expanded in the era of the internet, mass media television, and big data firms. Yet surprisingly, the relationship between reality and the masses's interpretation...