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.

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...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

Midterm 2022 Elections and Beyond: The Impact and Influence of Donations in American Politics

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

As most of the Midterm Election races have been decided, it is important to ask how we got here. Left leaning media have given much of the credit of the Democratic party to...

Is the Venezuelan Government Facing a Point of No Return?

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

A once successful democracy, Venezuela has experienced a sudden economic downturn due in part to the price of oil dropping worldwide, causing a shift at all levels of the...

The Ambiguous Role Polarization May Play by Isabet Tranchin

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

Political polarization is often cited as a negative, and occasionally as a competitive positive, for a democracy. Polarization in the United States has become a buzz word that occurs often in...

Media Manipulation in the Trump Era by Radhika Upadhye

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

The lines between politics, news, and entertainment can often be blurry, but President Donald Trump and his administration...

The Republican Party and Racism by Selena Spencer

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

This piece explores the relationship between the Republican Party and racism in the recent past and the current political climate. Within the United States, political discourse can’t exist without...

Liberal Democratic Monopolies – One-Party Dominance in Functioning Democracies – by Matthew Sparks

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

Institutionally and practically speaking, countries such as modern-day Japan, as well as India up until the late 1980s, generally fall within the category of liberal democratic states. Yet, as Ozan...

France’s Puzzling Polarization: A Case Study

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

Polarization can sometimes be a symptom of democratic erosion. A political climate that is sharply divided into two sides who are unable to compromise poses a major threat to a government founded on...

Talking Turkey? The Erdoğan Regime and Fake News – by Carter Squires

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

As perhaps one of the best known and examined cases of democratic backsliding, it comes as no surprise that Turkey under Erdoğan is home to a media landscape possessing a number of criteria...

Censorship or Security: Russia’s Ongoing Media Battle by Megha Bhattacharya

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

In his paper, Reflections on Putin and the Media, Scott Gehlbach describes the political implications of Vladimir Putin’s ongoing medial strategy in Russia. Published in 2010, Gehlbach concludes...

The Use of Fear for Populist Gain: Silvio Berlusconi and His Control Over the Media- by Julia Fischer

May 8, 2019 | University of Chicago

Silvio Berlusconi was a successful businessman. He owns the majority of the Italian media, and he was ranked among the world’s richest people in 2006. Along with being a billionaire, he was also a...