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.

The Judicial Branch’s Downfall

By ruling with bias, the Judicial Branch is overstepping its constitutional role and threatening the integrity of our separation of powers and system of checks and balances.

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy?

Israel’s suggested judicial reforms pose a risk to democratic checks and balances by undermining the independence of the judiciary, centralizing executive authority, and potentially weakening democratic principles, similar to what has been observed in countries like Poland.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

What Cuba Can Teach the West About Democracy

Nov 6, 2022 | Skidmore College

As the world’s most established democracies flare warning signs of deterioration, perhaps it’s time for a look at liberal democracy’s most fervent critics to inspire...

Revisionism in Social Media and Philippine Democracy

Nov 6, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

In the digital age, social media has expanded from being a site showcasing lifestyles and personalities, linking and building connections between people, and a form of...

Israeli Parliamentary Elections: A Choice between Backsliders? by Warren Casey Epstein

Apr 18, 2019 | University of Chicago

Were the Blue and White Party generals attempting a promissory coup against an executive aggrandizing Likud Prime Minister? The rhetoric of military generals attempting to “protect” democracy and an...

Radicalizing Reverberations by Christian Santiago

Apr 16, 2019 | Rollins College

A response to “Polarization is Dividing American Society, Not Just Politics” by Nate Cohn (NYT) Anyone who has been following the affairs of the United States government during the past few years is...

Is Democracy for ALL? by Aisha Tewfik

Apr 16, 2019 | Georgia State University

We have always been told that we are living in a democratic country, governed as democratic citizens by people whom we democratically elected. The question is has this always been the case and if...

U.S. vs. Them: Use of racism as a tool of Populism in Trump’s America by Katrina Ramkissoon

Apr 16, 2019 | Suffolk University

In the age of democracy erosion, we are beginning to see a rise of populism in global actors across the world. Political figures are now employing populist principles in order to stabilize their...

Macron: The Next Louis XVI? by Kennen Sparks

Apr 16, 2019 | Utah State University

The first protest against a fuel tax was on November 16th, 2018—at that time no one could have imagined that it would have ballooned into the largest series of protests in France since the infamous...

Bouteflika’s Departure: A New Chance for Democracy? by Noa Levin

Apr 16, 2019 | University of Chicago

On March 11, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria’s well-weathered president, announced that he would no longer be seeking a fifth term. The announcement came amidst widespread protests at the prospect of...

The Uighurs Are Proof that China is Growing more Undemocratic by the Day by Brooke Wayment

Apr 16, 2019 | Utah State University

The Uighurs are an ethnic minority group in China that speaks a different language and are generally unique in their cultural practices from the majority Han Chinese group. However, what...

Threats to State Level Democracy by Charles Mahoney

Apr 16, 2019 | Rollins College

This article was written mainly in response to the New York Times article "Wisconsin, Ground Zero for 2020 Politics, Looks Like a Tossup Again" written by Trip Gabriel, published April 4, 2019 The...

A Deepening Division in Liberal Democracy by Evangelina Wong

Apr 16, 2019 | Rollins College

Liberal democracy, as a fragile system of government, is being threatened and eroded in the United States by continued polarization and deep divisions between people that hinges on cultural and...