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.

Military-Made Sinkholes: The Constitutional Court and the Collapse of Thai Democracy

13 and 9. These numbers are of coups d’état that happened in Thailand since adopting the constitutional monarchy in 1932: 13 were successful, and 9 were unsuccessful. Democracy and the political landscape have been turbulent in Thailand, and they still are. However,...

The Permanent Campaign: Why Populist Leaders Can Never Stop Fighting the System

Imagine winning the most powerful office in the world and still governing like you're the underdog. That's the paradox at the center of modern populism and it isn't accidental. With Donald Trump's inauguration for his second term in January 2025, the fight did not...

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

The upcoming 2026 midterm elections are being framed as a referendum on the current executive agenda. But to view them merely though the lens of policy preference is to miss the deeper structural issues within the current state of American democracy. As the nation...

American Intervention in Venezuela: An Erosion of Democratic Norms

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

American Intervention in Venezuela: An Erosion of Democratic Norms In the early hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. military forces conducted an “intervention” in...

Fragmenting the United States Post Dobbs Decision

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

In 1973, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision in Roe v. Wade to legalize abortion prior to fetal viability, prohibiting any state bans. At the beginning...

Trump’s Evolved Form of Populism Works… and Hurts.

Apr 20, 2025 | University of Memphis

Trump has been called a populist since his initial campaign in 2016, with his ideas being mostly the same over the years: dismantle the Department of Education, impose tariffs on Mexico and China,...

The Judicial Branch’s Downfall

Apr 20, 2025 | University of Memphis

The Judicial branch has power and control over translating and applying our laws in the court system. The purpose of having three separate branches is to preserve an equal and fair democracy in the...

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

Apr 20, 2025 | University of Memphis

Israel's Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy? In 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration put forward extensive judicial reforms aimed at significantly...

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

Apr 19, 2025 | Boston University

On March 19, Ekrem Imamoğlu, mayor of Istanbul, was arrested on charges of corruption and terrorism. His arrest took place days before he was expected to be selected by the Republican People’s Party...

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are...

Analyzing Polarization and Democratic Politics: The SAVE Act

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Last week, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act with a large amount of Republican support and four democratic votes. The bill requires all voters to provide proof of U.S....

Turkey: The End of “Competitive Authoritarianism”?

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On March 19, 2025, the top opposition candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested four days prior to confirmation as the opposition party’s candidate for president. Turkey’s presidential elections are...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging...

Prabowo Dismantling Democracy, One Law at a Time

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On March 20, 2025, Indonesia’s Parliament approved revisions to their Indonesian National Military (TNI) Law No. 34/2004, raising concerns for civilians across the country. President Prabowo...