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.

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

Comparing the modern day struggles of democracy against reproductive rights to stealth authoritarianism.

Democracy Dying by Law : A Case study of Poland’s Under PiS Era

Still water runs deep. Have you ever heard of this phrase? It means that the surface may look calm, but there is some powerful force moving underneath. What if this was happening in real life? That force has a name: stealth authoritarianism. That force wears a mask...

The New Nepal: A Model or An Outlier?

Recent uprisings in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Madagascar (just to name a few) have highlighted younger generations’ demands for anticorruption and better political representation. Specifically, the 2025 uprising in Nepal illustrates GenZ’s potential for...

Democracy in Peril: The Menace of Fake News and Propaganda of the Marcoses on Social Media in the Philippines

May 27, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

After the People Power Revolution ousted Ferdinand Marcos, the Filipinos vowed that neither the Marcoses nor the tyranny of martial law would ever return to Malacañang...

Authoritarian Digitalization in the Philippines: How the Dutertes Controlled the Filipino Citizenry through Social Media

May 27, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

The authoritarian landscape is changing, yet the strategies and objectives remain the same in some aspects. Some weak democracies are exhibiting patterns of resurgent or...

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...

Climate Change, Performance, and Soft Democratic Breakdown

Oct 27, 2019 | University of Memphis

My event related to global democracy is best described as a relatively small part of a large movement. Namely, the Memphis portion of the Global Climate Strike, which kicked off on September 20th...

Democratic Town Hall on LGBTQ Rights: Real Possibilities or a Bunch of Boloney?

Oct 27, 2019 | University of Memphis

Source: CNN During Friday Follies, Fox News Laura Ingraham describes the Democratic town hall on LGBTQ rights from the previous night as an event of shameless pandering by Democrats to the social...

Will International Trade Affect the United States Democracy?

Oct 26, 2019 | University of Memphis

International Trade regarding United States Democracy There is nothing new that China plays a huge role with the United States when it comes to World Trade. There is still struggle when it comes to...

Definitely No Deal for Brexit?

Oct 26, 2019 | Salem State University

Finally, the deadline for Brexit is approaching, and time is running out for the UK and the European Union to come to terms with a deal to smoothly transition. The probability of such a deal...

Playing Nice

Oct 24, 2019 | University of Memphis

Show Me What Democracy Looks Like Republicans and Democrats are gravitating away from the center, but Republicans are moving farther faster. It is hard to point a finger like this and still come...