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.

Dangerous Determination: Uber Eroding Democracy

Jul 24, 2022 | Dartmouth College

This month, former Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann revealed over 124,000 documents of extensive notes and messages between world leaders and Uber executives around the world,...

January 6th: A Call for Republican Resistance

Jun 28, 2022 | University of Denver

On January 6, 2021, one of the greatest physical attacks on modern democracy occurred with the violent disruption of the 2020 presidential election certification at the U.S....

What had been normalized is finally being confronted head on by Jillian Seigel @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

On March 24th, thousands of people across the country and around the world took to the streets and protested American gun laws. With the United States being one of the most powerful countries in the...

Stagnation as Erosion: Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s Monopoly by Ginger Li @ Yale University

Mar 29, 2018 | Yale University

Since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan has enjoyed near complete control of the Japanese government. It has only failed to hold a majority for four of the past sixty-three years.[1]...

President Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius Resigns in the Face of Scandal: A Lesson in Accountability By: Bailey Markowski @ The Ohio State University

Mar 29, 2018 | Ohio State University

One of the most important aspects of a functioning democracy is its ability to hold its leaders accountable. A lack of checks and balances or of electoral accountability can lead to democratic...

Moreno’s Transition to Power: Ecuador’s Uncertain Political Future by Valeria Menendez @ Yale University

Mar 29, 2018 | Yale University

Ecuador's former president, Rafael Correa, was elected three times with over 55% of the vote in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Correa's Alianza Pais (AP) party has dominated parliament for quite a long time....

How President Trump Lies and Fires His Way Towards Authoritarianism by Dominique Kren @American University

Mar 29, 2018 | American University

On March 23, CNN Politics released an article titled “This White House Just Keeps Not Telling the Truth Over and Over and Over Again”, a sentiment which has been repeated across news outlets since...

Ian Khama’s Abuse of the Executive in Botswana by Seth Bartlett @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

Botswana is often considered the poster child of post-colonial democratic transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been lauded for maintaining apparently free and fair elections as well as for its...

A Well Regulated Resistance by Jake Farris @ American University

Mar 28, 2018 | American University

#ThoughtsAndPrayers We see this phrase trod out after every mass shooting in America, but little has been done to galvanize citizenry, let alone the legislature, to make impactful changes to gun...

In Northern Ireland, Ideological Binaries Give Way to Ebbs and Flows of Democratic Backsliding by Emil Friedman @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

The story of modern democracy in Northern Ireland is a story of intense path dependency. And at the start of that path was the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of April 1998, which introduced two...

Zuma’s out, so where does this leave South Africa’s democracy? by Ruchi Kirtikar @ Columbia University

Mar 28, 2018 | Columbia University

Nietzsche has likened corruption to the annual arrival of autumn. In some countries, this changing season may be manufactured by a coup, the potential beginning of democratic backsliding. In others,...