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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Orbán and Trump: Faces of Dying Democracies.

Apr 19, 2024 | Ursinus College

Donald Trump has been compared to a lot throughout his mediocre rise into politics. Even during the infancy of his 2016 election, Trump was being compared to dictators,...

Brazil’s Political Maze: Navigating Turbulence and Corruption

Apr 19, 2024 | Ursinus College

In recent years, Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has found himself under heightened scrutiny due to ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption....

Social Engineering: a Consequence of Democratic Erosion Research? by Emily Maercklein

Apr 22, 2019 | University of Chicago

The ideal regime type Discussion of the end of democracy reliably captures the attention and fear of many Americans. As members of the most powerful liberal democracy in the world, it is...

The Problem with the Horse’s Mouth: The Case for the White House Press Briefing by Alexa Keith

Apr 22, 2019 | University of Chicago

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson held the White House’s first press conference. In 1929, President Herbert Hoover formally established the position of White House Press Secretary. Ever since, the White House...

Mulling over the Mueller Report by Megha Bhattacharya

Apr 22, 2019 | University of Chicago

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Special counsel Robert Mueller (2nd L) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The...

US Supreme Court vs. A More Extremely Anti-Democratic Regime

Apr 22, 2019 | University of Chicago

The United States Court's are an important foundational check on laws and policies that would violate the US’s democratic norms and institutions. Many see the Court’s rulings against the Trump...

Acting Titles and Erosion of Norms by Jorge Garrigo

Apr 22, 2019 | University of Chicago

The Trump administration is no stranger to turnover. From the very start of the administration, personnel has been shuffled in and out of key positions, some like Anthony Scaramucci lasting only six...

Can Sudan be a Fertile Breeding Ground for a Stable Democracy? By Omar Battisha

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

As political observers intently watch the situation between the Sudanese protesters and the Transitional Military Council continue to unfold, waiting to see if a democratic future is in store for...

Stealth Authoritarianism and Trump’s Constant War with the Free Press by Marcos Dymond

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

President Trump has a well-documented, antagonistichistory with many of the country’s most prominent and respected news authorities. In an October 2018 article Vox’s Ezra Klein wrote a piece on...

Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan Presidency By Luis Sierra

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

In Venezuela, President Nicholas Maduro has managed to remain in power even as the country continues through protests and a worsening economic crisis. Even after Juan Guiado the opposition leader...

How Disinformation is Threatening the 2019 Indian Election by Jenny W. Xiao

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

As the world’s largest democracy heads to the ballot box this week, political observers are worried that propaganda and “fake news” pose a threat to the country’s parliamentary elections. Earlier...