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.

How the Issue of Crime Has Reshaped the 2022 Midterm Elections

Oct 17, 2022 | Boston University

How the Issue of Crime has Reshaped the 2022 Midterm Elections As the Midterm Elections rapidly approach, a number of policy issues have taken the forefront of...

The Migrant Crisis in New York: Why Populism Brought Us to Such a Partisan Divide

Oct 17, 2022 | Boston University

Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in his city due to the massive influx of migrants arriving by bus. As a result, New York...

Rhetoric and Reactionism in the Brexit Debacle – by Matt Willis @ Rollins College

Mar 31, 2019 | Rollins College

In his article, Max Fisher of the New York Times describes an intriguing conundrum in the democratic process, and two parallel cases that expose it. At the forefront is a recall election in the town...

Perils of the Green New Deal

Mar 31, 2019 | Rollins College

The Green New Deal, proposed earlier this year, is a non-binding resolution that primarily plans to battle the detrimental effects of climate change, but also advocates for methods to lower economic...

Green Old Deal

Mar 31, 2019 | Rollins College

A country where there is no pollution, and everyone has a job sounds like a perfect place to live. This utopian vision of a state is the end game for the Green New Deal that is presented by the...

Ignoring Constitutional Obligations by Sydney Willis

Mar 31, 2019 | Rollins College

How hyper polarization has led to politicians in the United States ignoring their constitutional obligations Ever since...

Donald Trump vs The Media: A Threat to Our American Democracy? By Samuel Reeder

Mar 31, 2019 | American University

President Donald Trump has been consistently undermining and discrediting the news media in the United States since the start of his campaign back in 2016. The president, who has famously...

What Impeachment Means by Evangelina Wong

Mar 31, 2019 | Rollins College

The presidential election of 2016 was one that stirred the nation. The way that a businessman and television personality, Donald Trump, took over the Republican party and later the presidential...

The Implications of a Trump Impeachment, or Lack Thereof by Maria Psarakis

Mar 30, 2019 | Rollins College

Cries for impeachment have echoed across the country since the day Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States of America. Admittedly, a lot of these cries arose before any...

Democracy Working With Businesses By Matthew Bellow

Mar 30, 2019 | University of Memphis

The decisions and negotiations that City Hall makes with both local and major businesses try to advocate for change. Change that attempts to provide the best impact for the greatest amount of...

Implications of Impeachment by Emily Curran

Mar 28, 2019 | Rollins College

Impeachment of a President has only happened twice in United States history; once with Andrew Johnson in 1868 and once with Bill Clinton in 1998. Impeachment is the legislature's ability to check...