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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Lawful Erosion: Is it Legal or No? Maybe…

Recent reports by The New York Times share a growing consensus within the judiciary of an impending crisis, with a lack of clarity creating foreseeable conflict and confusion. The article noted a survey that went to over 400 federal judges; 65 of them responded. These...

Pulling the Alarm: From Washington to Rome, Experts Warn of Rapid Democratic Decline

The United States has long upheld an international reputation as the sword and shield of democracy, championing liberal ideals and warning other nations against the rise of authoritarianism. To such an extent, the U.S. has arguably played the role of a democratic...

Who are supplying Guns for Haiti’s Escalating Violence?

Although steps have been taken to restore democracy in Haiti with the appointment of a governing Transitional Presidential Council, violence continues to escalate in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding regions. Therefore, many may ask where...

The Duterte Way And His Legacy on Philippine Democracy

Nov 9, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential candidacy in the Philippines’ 2016 elections was a breath of fresh air for a majority of Filipinos. In a society of frustrated poor and...

People Power Fatigue: How Past Revolutions’ Rise (And Fall) Led to Democratic Erosion in the Philippines

Nov 8, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Photo taken by Joey de Vera from People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An eyewitness history, among other historical books....

American Democracy: Whites Only by Alexander Lloyd @ Georgia State University

Oct 25, 2018 | Georgia State University

Despite the absurdity of the 2016 election, the success of Donald J. Trump was not a random fluke but rather the result of a series of events starting with the Compromise of 1877. As described in...

Is Too Much Democracy a Bad Thing? by Matthew Mottet @ Georgia State University

Oct 23, 2018 | Georgia State University

Is it necessarily true that “the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy”? In 1972 the McGovern-Fraser Commission revolutionized America’s primary system under this quote. For centuries...

Donald Trump vs. the Enemy of the People by Kara Nelson @ Georgia State University

Oct 23, 2018 | Georgia State University

During the last turbulent presidential election cycle, a clear division grew between those who regard Donald Trump as a solution to the ineffectiveness of the government and those who regard him as...

“The Empire Strikes Back (Again)” by Casey Francois @ Georgia State University

Oct 21, 2018 | Georgia State University

If you told me five years ago that we would be anywhere other than in the safe embrace of a Hillary Clinton presidency, I would ask who your dealer was and how much. Alas, here we are in the throes...

“Restricting Peaceful protest is a danger to our Democracy” by Verina Hunt @ “Georgia State University”

Oct 11, 2018 | Georgia State University

The idea of protest evokes images of minorities taking a public stand or groups that are outside the mainstream protesting for basic civil liberties. When people protest, it is often against...

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...