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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Loper Bright: How SCOTUS Undermined Democracy While America Looked The Other Way

Oct 10, 2024 | Brown University

For nearly a decade, much of the American public’s attention has been devoted to whether or not Donald Trump hopes to destroy American democracy. Opponents speak his...

Sheinbaum’s Folly: How a Weak State Undermines Mexico’s Democracy

Oct 10, 2024 | Brown University

Draped in the green, white and red of the Presidential Sash, Claudia Sheinbaum, 62, delivered her inaugural speech as Mexico’s 66th President. “We are a free,...

COVID-19 Pushes Hungarian Democracy to its Breaking Point

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed 80,000 people and counting as of writing this piece. The international crisis has marred the...

Republicans’ Opposition to Vote-by-Mail Shines Light on Voter Suppression Efforts

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

As the coronavirus ravages the United States, it’s not only endangering the lives of thousands of Americans, but also the foundations of American democratic elections. While COVID-19 and its...

A $15 Million Bounty on a Narcoterrorist Dictator – Is US Intervention Really Helping?

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

Venezuela has been going through a twenty year long political and economic rough patch. Beginning with Hugo Chavez in 1998 and now with Nicolas Maduro, almost five million people have had to leave...

Power Hungary: Viktor Orbán’s Power Grab in the Coronavirus Pandemic

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

Since being elected as Prime Minister in 2010, Viktor Orbán has led Hungary down a road toward authoritarianism, but recently, in the wake of the coronavirus, Orbán has received powers indefinitely...

COVID-19 is Strengthening Federalism in America, a Key Combatant of Democratic Erosion

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

Many scholars have argued that American democracy has been slowly decaying, culminating in the election of populist Donald Trump. Political scientist Robert C. Lieberman et al write, “Trump has...

Death Sentence: Wisconsin’s Democratic Primary Spells Trouble for American Democracy

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

As the 2020 Democratic Primary season ramped up, the bloated field of candidates quickly collapsed to two as frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders ran away with the race. After Biden’s...

The Latest Battle Over Voting: Vote By Mail

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

Earlier in the year and in late 2019, the Republican party in the US has been suppressing voters and voter turnouts through voter roll purges and the passage of voter ID laws. Since then, attempts...

Federal Judges as Trump’s Political Agents: What Does this Mean for the Future of American Democracy?

Apr 8, 2020 | Boston University

The Trump Presidency, over the last three years, has continuously attempted to destroy democratic norms that have existed for much of the country’s existence. Some of these attempts may have already...

Emerging Technology and Eroding Democracy?

Apr 8, 2020 | Utah State University

The rapid expansion of technology has, generally, been viewed as a positive development for global communication. Technological growth is expected to increase public accessibility and help citizens...