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.

Environmental Fragility & Political Instability: Climate Change as a Driver of Democratic Backsliding

Environmental Fragility & Political Instability—is climate change helping cause democratic erosion?

How Trump’s 20-Point Plan risks deepening Democratic Erosion in Israel and Palestine

A critical look at how Donald Trump’s proposed 20-Point Plan for Israel and Palestine, while marketed as a peace blueprint, risks deepening democratic erosion on both sides by entrenching executive power, sidelining accountability, and mistaking stability for freedom.

Lawful Erosion: Is it Legal or No? Maybe…

Recent reports by The New York Times share a growing consensus within the judiciary of an impending crisis, with a lack of clarity creating foreseeable conflict and confusion. The article noted a survey that went to over 400 federal judges; 65 of them responded. These...

South Korea’s President Moves Forward with Plan to Fulfill Anti-Feminist Campaign Promises

Dec 17, 2022 | Suffolk University

The Blue House, Home of South Korea's Executive Office - Source: Unsplash The success of Yoon’s appeals to anti-feminism reflects the rise of reactionary gender politics...

A New Far-Right in Israel: The Descent into Authoritarianism in Jerusalem

Dec 17, 2022 | Skidmore College

On November 1st, Israel held parliamentary elections for the fifth time in 3 years. Results are pointing towards another victory of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party. His...

“Populism” as an Expression of Popular Sovereignty: Democracy as a Threat to Itself? By Ian Henson

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

A successful representative democracy is dependent on the expression of the citizens’ interests and views in society through “popular sovereignty”. This idea is the foundation of any working...

Fake News and Election Politics by Anjali Nahata

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

“It is now clear that social media and intensely partisan television and radio broadcasts disseminated a massive number of messages during the 2016 Presidential election campaign designed to...

How the 2020 census is serving to consolidate authoritarian power in the U.S. by Guilherme Soares

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

The main goal of the census in the United States is to count people, Plain and simple. Regardless of race, ethnicity, age, location, or any of countless other categorizations that people like to...

Beating Populist Rhetoric: The Democrats’ Guide to the 2020 Election by Alexa Keith

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

On February 3, 2020, the Iowa caucuses will be held, the first step in finding the Democrat who will challenge Donald Trump for the presidency. As of April, 2019, 21 Democrats have declared their...

Who Will Stand Up for Congress? by Ronen Schatsky

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

The Trump presidency has alarmed lots of people about the power of the executive branch. Democrats and even some Republicans are expressing serious concerns that the President is overstepping his...

Patronage Politics and Democracy: A Mutually Exclusive Pair? – by Matthew Sparks

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

The fundamental idea of clientelism, at first glance, naturally seems to be a rather undemocratic practice, considering that such patronage-networking effectively encourages outright vote-buying....

Executive Gatekeeping: A Short Lived Honeymoon by Aliza Oppenheim

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

After the release of the Mueller report, many were shocked to see the number of White House officials, such as former White House counsel Don McGahn and former White House Chief of Staff Reince...

Jaroslaw and the Law and Justice Party in Poland

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

The Law and Justice Party and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, because of their rise to power in 2015, appear to have similar roots as other populist movements across Europe in the 2008 recession. However, this...

The Future of the European Union by Thomas Martino

Apr 28, 2019 | University of Chicago

Brexit On June 23rd, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Nigel Farage was the leader of the Brexit movement, and he addressed the European Parliament less than a week after...