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.
Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion
What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?
The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think
The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.
The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID
The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.
How Did We Get to January 6th?
Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University
January 6th was a complete disregard for democratic institutions and processes, but how did we reach that point? How did so many United States citizens get to the point...
Drawing Lines: Redistricting and Democratic Backslide in Ohio
Sep 30, 2022 | Ohio State University
Manipulation of electoral districts has been a tool of American politics since at least the early 1800s. In today’s America, this strategy is as prevalent, or perhaps more...
Fighting Democratic Erosion in the Philippines: Beyond Resistance by Michael Manangu @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
May 26, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
In a controversial decision, the Philippine Supreme Court voted on May 11 to remove its leader, Maria Lourdes Sereno. The court’s majority ordered Sereno’s seat vacated after acting on a petition...
The Role of the National Democratic Left in Creating Spaces of Resistance in the Face of an Eroding Philippine Democracy by Patricia Villa @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
May 25, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
The erosion of Philippine democracy has set a new stage of opportunity for resistance movements to seize. Indeed, the country is in another “extraordinary time”. What could the role of the National...
“Ukraine’s Path Dependent Democracy: Unintended Consequences of Transitional Democratic Institutions” by Minch Cerrero @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
May 18, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
Ukraine prides itself with three revolutions - 1991 independence from Russia, 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Euromaidan. These historical junctures are inextricably linked to Ukraine’s...
“Mr. President, It Is Not Entirely Your Fault Why the Philippines Suffers from Illiberal Democracy” by Minch Cerrero @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
May 18, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
Duterte’s authoritarian tendencies cannot be plainly framed as symptomatic of the changing times. His exercise of democracy, that is occasionally illiberal, is a product of the confluence of three...
WHY MODI FEELS LIKE CHÁVEZ BY SANTOSH K. DIGAL @ UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN
May 18, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi belong to two different generations, contexts, and continents. They were reared in very different social, cultural,...
Combatting a Taboo: considering Alternatives to Democracy? – By Mathias PENGUILLY @ Georgia State University
May 16, 2018 | Georgia State University
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, we have been conditioned to believe that democracy was eternal and that no other system could triumph against it. The Western powers...
Removal of Chief Justice Sereno, Slippery Slope or a Mere Continuation of the Politicized Judiciary? By Hannah Frances C. Bodegon @University of the Philippines-Diliman
May 16, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
On May 12, eight justices namely Teresita de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes, and Alexander Gesmundo voted in favor to remove...
Nicaragua’s April 19 Movement – the End of Daniel Ortega’s Presidency? By Hannah Frances C. Bodegon @ University of the Philippines-Diliman
May 15, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
In mid-April, a spate of protests led by students around the cities of Nicaragua, starting in the capital city of Managua, erupted over President Ortega’s social security reform. Such reform...
Conveying Democracy in Kenya: An Attempt to Discourse Analysis by Michelle Sto. Tomas @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
May 15, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
Kenya has been under authoritarianism for quite some years now and still prevalent under the presidency of Uhuru Kenyatta. Authoritarianism, in Kenya’s case, seems to have resulted into a domino...