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.

You Can’t Sit with Us: The Practice of Democratic Gatekeeping and How It Has Saved Democracies

At the 11th hour of the 2024 election many Republican politicians and members of congress took a stance against Republican candidate, Donald Trump. Through the “Republicans for Harris” tagline, they urged their supporters through various forms of appeals to vote...

The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse's presidency marked a dangerous shift from Haiti's already shaky democracy to overt authoritarianism. Delayed elections, unchecked abuse of executive power, and violent suppression of resistance became the norm. By the time of his assassination in 2021,...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a negative impact on democracy as a whole. Such a system depends on the free transmission of...

Democrats Boosting Far-Right Candidates Could Impact GOP Long-Term

Oct 18, 2022 | Boston University

Preparing for this year’s midterms, Democrats have been releasing ads in support of far-right candidates with the belief that these more extreme candidates will be easier to...

Italy’s Submersion into Populism – A Period of Instability Seized for Political Gain

Oct 18, 2022 | Boston University

With a proportional parliament, multi-layered elections, and an established separation of powers in government, Italy would appear to many as a strongly democratic nation....

Referral 3442- Petition to amend the definition of rehabilitation center in a regular meeting by Luna Kim

Feb 5, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

On January 29th, 2019 at 5:30 PM, the Committee on Ordinances held a regular meeting at 25 Dorrance Street, Providence City Hall to discuss various projects happening in the city as well as...

Power Imbalance and Representative Democracy in Rhode Island House of Representatives by Yifan Wang

Feb 4, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

On January 23rd, Common Cause Rhode Island held its “Demystifying Democracy” at the Dwares Jewish Community Center. Common Cause Rhode Island is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes...

Democracy and the Experience of Incarceration In The U.S. and Syria by Abbi Kenny

Feb 4, 2019 | Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design

Entering Brown University’s Stephen Robert Hall was an overwhelming ordeal, the hall was buzzing with activity from students, faculty, and guests as everyone prepared for the evening’s discussion....

A Defining Moment for Press in the United States by Eugene Rhee

Feb 4, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

Tensions between the press and figures in power, especially the wealthy, have always been present. However, after watching the documentary, “Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press”, which was...

The Unwritten Rules in Rhode Island’s Speaker Dilemma by Lars Barstad

Feb 2, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

The state of Rhode Island has a severely imbalanced distribution of power within its House of Representatives. Specifically, the Speaker of the House never loses a vote. I only recently learned...

City of Providence Aims to Prohibit All Property Demolitions and Increase Nurse Practitioner & Teacher Diversity by Alex Riddle

Feb 2, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

The City of Providence strong-arms business opportunities with new limitations to property demolitions and developments. Are our representatives acting in our best interest? THE SCENE: 444...

Is democracy declining in Israel? by Tal Been, Gal Factor, Or Hcabra, Shaked Infeld, Tally Kyegan, Noam Noy, Daniel Padon,and Sharon Somech

Jan 14, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

The Department of Government and Politics at Ben-Gurion University recently hosted (17/2/18) a panel entitled: “Is democracy declining in Israel?,” featuring prominent scholars who study the Israeli...

Is Democratic Backsliding Sometimes a Democratic Choice? by Ji’Carla Martínez @University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

As defined by political scientists, democratic backsliding is the gradual breakdown of democratic institutions within a country. With the rise of populism and nationalism being reflected in various...

United States of Democracy

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Before World War II, America tried to keep to itself. The young country was trying to keep its head above water after decades of economic recessions off and on. After the two World Wars, America...