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.

Look at What They Took From You: MAGA Polarization Through Social Media

With the accessibility of social media, how does the current administration use it to create polarization?

From Secularism to Islamic Authority: Democratic Backsliding in Bangladesh

The journalists and citizens of Bangladesh look to the Jamaat to abide by the July National Charter of 2025, which seeks to prevent autocratic rule from institutionalizing once more.

From Left to Right-Wing Populism: Can Argentina Survive Another Movement?

In November 2023, self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei won the Argentinian presidency. His campaign ran on the promise of dismantling the existing political establishment that many Argentinians had grown dissatisfied with. Yet, rather than departing from...

Food and Democracy: Democracy-building U.S. Aid Program under Threat

Nov 5, 2023 | Arizona State University

In 2021, nearly 4 million people were assisted by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program including 2.1 million school age children across the entire globe. Going into...

Albania is on a slow authoritarian spiral

Oct 31, 2023 | Salem State University

Former Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha and his son-in-law Jamarber Maltezzi are embroiled in corruption scandals. Berisha is charged with money laundering and...

Protest Over Tax Lead to Prime Minister Resignation

Nov 12, 2019 | Salem State University

Last month, mass protests against proposed taxes on “WhatsApp” forced the government and Prime Minister of Lebanon to step down. The argument over whether Lebanon is a country of resilience or a...

Bolsonaro’s Pride Burns the Amazon

Nov 12, 2019 | Salem State University

How Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's claims contradict facts During the month of August, it came to international attention that the Amazon Rainforest was burning. And yet, Brazilian President...

China Hates “Sharp Power,” but the Feeling Is Unfounded

Nov 9, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

China is unhappy with the growing use of the term “sharp power” to describe its overseas influence activities. Unfortunately, its criticism is unfounded. China is unhappy with the growing use of the...

The New Populism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Nov 4, 2019 | Sacramento State University

To the detriment of democracy, populism has returned in force with a new face in many countries of the world, and Ukraine is no exception. (Freedom House 2018) The election of Volodymyr Zelensky to...

Moving forward together

Nov 2, 2019 | University of Memphis

I was able to attend to Erica's Sugarmon campaign talk, from there I learned that Erica could be the solution for Memphis issues on crimes, poverty and specially on education as well.Â She is...

Local Politics Trumps Pop Politics

Oct 29, 2019 | University of Memphis

The Importance of Local Representation As the U.S. continues to embrace the spectacles of political performances on the biggest stages of American politics, it is important to remind ourselves of...

MATA: A Brighter Future Costs Money

Oct 28, 2019 | University of Memphis

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the public transportation provided in Memphis, Tennessee. The system was founded in 1975 to help serve the Greater Mid-south. September 25, 2019, Jim...

How Does Women’s Political Participation Affect Democracy?

Oct 27, 2019 | University of Memphis

The political event I attended related to how sex shapes governance in the world, but I particularly focused on the United States and how women were involved in politics. From the colonial period,...

Elections Are Coming

Oct 27, 2019 | University of Memphis

The school district in my county has been a ripe source of conflict as of late. The district is predominantly failing, with the exception of one or two upper class predominately white schools. The...