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.

Fighting Fake News: Lessons from the World’s Top Target

2018 was a year of awakening in Taiwan. Two high-profile events threw the consequences of fake news into relief. First, Su Chii-cherng, the envoy to Osaka for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, took his own life in September 2018 after false reports about him...

Can Democracies Wait Another 2,500 Years to Meet Today’s Needs?

In 500 BC, during Athens' golden age of democracy, the voting age was set at 18. Over 2,500 years later, this threshold remains the same in the vast majority (90%) of countries. However, as democracies grapple with rising populism, authoritarianism, marginalization of...

Présidence Impériale: Executive Aggrandizement in Macron’s France

Amidst significant challenges to France’s democracy, President Emmanuel Macron has ignored democratic norms and abused constitutional articles to expand his own power—periling France’s democracy.

“These Guys Are Weird”: How Overtly Anti-Democratic Ideology Made It From Online Forums to the Presidential Ticket

Brown University

When now Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz spoke these titular words in reference to JD Vance, his opposition on the Republican ticket, the feeling resonated...

Loper Bright: How SCOTUS Undermined Democracy While America Looked The Other Way

Brown University

For nearly a decade, much of the American public’s attention has been devoted to whether or not Donald Trump hopes to destroy American democracy. Opponents speak his...

Variations of Populism in the Philippines: Medical Populist President Rodrigo Duterte and “Tuob” Populist Governor Gwen Garcia

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Photo: Physical exercises for violators of the enhanced community quarantine policy in province of Cebu in the Philippines by Gerard Francisco, Cebu Daily News Digital. The COVID-19 pandemic...

Wrestling with the Populist Rhetoric-Policy Tension: Insights from the 2023 Republican Primaries’ Discourse on the UAW Strike

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

The recent national-level strike launched by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union at several major auto manufacturers in the United States against General Motors (GM), Ford Motor, and Stellantis...

The expansive measures of being democratic: A lesson learned from Palestine

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

A ceaseless conflict between the State of Palestine and Israel appears to have no end in sight. Despite international efforts on humanitarian issues, especially for civilians, the Israeli military...

Thoughts on Russian “Democracy”

Boston University

While the focus on Russia today is its war in Ukraine, which as of writing this enters its 600th day, not too long ago that focus was on the state of its “democracy”. Prior to the invasion, much of...

The Supreme Court’s Potential to Erode Democracy

Boston University

The Supreme Court, an institution responsible for providing equal justice under the law, contradicts this role in our current democracy. As the two other branches of government become more...

The Delegitimization of American Political Institutions

Boston University

Until fairly recently, Americans tended to view their own constitutional democracy as their greatest source of joy as citizens. We saw ourselves as a shining beacon of political and civil liberty,...

The supreme immunity: Could it be a stealth authoritarianism?

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

An example from Indonesia’s new Article of libel and defamation In the essence of practicing democracy, a fundamental understanding is that it provides a safe space for both criticism and...

China in Cambodia: Threat to Regional Stability

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

The shrinking of Cambodia’s civic and political space mirrors the elections and authoritarian consolidation of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Since 2021, Cambodia’s civil society, media, and...

Aspects for Deliberation: Can Democracy Truly Foster Gender Equality and Dismantle Patriarchy’s Structural?

School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Introduction Gender equality and the dismantling of the patriarchal system are essential components of social progress. While democracy is often viewed as a system that upholds fundamental rights...

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