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.

Legislative Capture and the Erosion of Democracy in India

After coming into power following the 2014 election, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated an alarming backsliding of democratic institutions and practices. Having recently become the world’s most populous country, India’s dip in authoritarianism should...

Fujimori or Sánchez – How Peru Loses Either Way

In the April 2026 presidential elections in Peru there was a total of 35 candidates. As we approach the runoff vote on the top two candidates, Peruvians are going to be choosing between Keiko Fujimori and her opponent Roberto Sánchez. Both politicians are...

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

Comparing the modern day struggles of democracy against reproductive rights to stealth authoritarianism.

A Local Stage For Big Issues

Oct 11, 2024 | Ohio State University

Ohio’s state government is one of the most radically and staunch conservative enclaves in the United States. Yet their constituents do not quite align with this message and...

College Democrats Meeting and Democratic Erosion: A Reflection

Oct 11, 2024 | Ohio State University

Attending a recent College Democrats of America meeting at Ohio State University was an opportunity to not only reflect on various aspects of democratic erosion within...

Trump– Hero or Nero

Apr 29, 2020 | Georgia State University

In my lifetime, democracy has been heralded as the premier form of governance. The will of the individual in concert with others legislates their prerogatives. Historically, democracy has manifested...

Tale of the Tape: Catalonia vs. Spain

Apr 29, 2020 | Georgia State University

In 1978, the death of the execrable dictator Francisco Franco left Spain at a crossroads: either embrace ethnolinguistic regionalism and form several independent states or unite under a common flag....

Was the Election Petition in Ghana a Blessing in Disguise?

Apr 28, 2020 | Georgia State University

For this analytical blog, an assessment of the election petition that took place during Ghana’s Presidential election in 2012 can provide a glimpse into the country’s transition to establishing a...

Consequences of Political Corruption in Bolivia

Apr 28, 2020 | Georgia State University

My blog post is based on how the Bolivia Crisis demonstrated aspects of democratic backsliding. After reading the article by Anria and Roberts (2019), the crisis in Bolivia stems from the...

What Happens After an Autocrat Dies? Legacies of The Country Once A Democracy

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

As the democracies around the world started to take a regressive turn, the academic literature and policy agenda of many pay more attention to the subject of de-democratization. As more and more...

Fight Fire with Fire? – Hostage Diplomacy between the US and Iran

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Coronavirus pandemic had impacted our daily lives as well as the international relations today. The impact of the pandemic, the fueling of democratic backsliding in certain liberal and electoral...

Some Monsters are Created by Good Will: How can South Korea’s Digital Surveillance Contribute Democratic Backsliding Overseas?

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

South Korea’s fight against the Covid-19 turns out to be worrisome! Not for being ineffective in combating the virus, but for a different story that I would like to tell. As a part of the fight...

The Ill Fate of Nicaragua

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

The lack of democracy and basic freedom in Nicaragua is not a new trend in the country. Over the last century, the country has experienced the invasion of the United States, dictatorship rule by a...

Social media as a tool to shape the government policies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Humanity is now facing one of the worst crises throughout the history. The negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic can be seen in countries’ health systems, economies and almost in every aspect of...