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.

Hungary’s 2024 Protests and Elections: Populism VS Oligarchy

Intro In the last two years, Hungary has seen an influx of worker-led protests, even as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintained tight control over politics and the media. From 2023 to 2024, teachers and union members took to the streets of Hungary to oppose...

Corruption vs. The Fight for Democratic Resilience: The Threat of Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal to EU Membership and Democratic Integrity

Exploring the direct effects of Ukraine’s energy corruption scandal on the stability of their democracy.

Shameless Politics: How Scandal Lost Its Power in America

As scandal after scandal fails to draw consequences, a new political logic has taken hold—one where shamelessness isn’t a liability but a governing strategy.

Voters Behind Bars: How Felon Disenfranchisement Weakens American Democracy

Apr 30, 2023 | University of Utah

The disenfranchisement of felons is paving the way for America’s democratic backsliding. Repealing these undemocratic laws will help to reinvigorate the American...

Leveraging External Issues to Support Democracy: How the Fight for Abortion Rights Protected Democracy in Wisconsin

Apr 28, 2023 | University of Utah

In 2010, Republicans won a series of state legislative races in Wisconsin which allowed for them to redraw district lines to their own advantage; this strategy cemented...

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...

Breaking (Fake) News

Feb 11, 2020 | Boston University

Enshrined in the United States Constitution, freedom of the press is integral to the success of democracy. The press serves as the people’s watchdog, a voice for the voiceless, and a check on the...

An Exposition of Democratic Erosion in America at the 2020 State of the Union

Feb 11, 2020 | Boston University

As the American president finished delivering his 2020 State of the Union Address, the highest-ranking member of the opposing political party got to her feet and ripped the President’s speech into...

The price of Indigenous lives

Jan 1, 2020 | Sacramento State University

Brazil is currently facing a number of struggles. One of those struggles is that indigenous Brazilians are facing the loss of their land and threats on their lives. A series of events have garnered...

Democratic Backsliding in Egypt

Dec 19, 2019 | Georgia State University

Recently, in Egypt, a breakout of anti-government protests resulted in the arrests of innocent people, including both bystanders and peaceful protesters. Young citizens took to the streets chanting,...