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...

Revisionism in Social Media and Philippine Democracy

Nov 6, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

In the digital age, social media has expanded from being a site showcasing lifestyles and personalities, linking and building connections between people, and a form of...

Duterte’s Counterinsurgency Program: There Is More Than Meets the Eye

Nov 1, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

You’ll find no freer democracy than the Republic of the Philippines under former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022). Well, at least that’s what former National Task Force...

Can the Inclusion of Women Stop Democratic Erosion? by Nicole Wells @ American University

May 8, 2018 | American University

I recently attended an event at the United States Institute of Peace titled “Women’s role in Constitution making”. The focus was on including women’s participation in statebuilding in post-conflict...

Complicating Democratic Rule of Law in the European Union by Jake Farris @ American University

May 7, 2018 | American University

The backsliding of democracy in Europe, especially Eastern Europe is troubling for integrative nature of the European Union (EU). The concept of a greater Europe is now being tested by countries...

American Protectionism and Democratic Erosion by Ra’Shad Johnson @Georgia State University

May 7, 2018 | Georgia State University

The truth is the United States has never been a truly free trade country, that is allowing other countries free access to US trade markets. However, recently the United States has drafted...

Losing the Plot: Democracy is the Solution, not the Problem by Sam Sharman @ Georgia State University

May 4, 2018 | Georgia State University

As academics, pundits, and causal observers respond to widespread democratic erosion across the western world, many have argued that to counter democratic erosion, we need less democracy. However,...

Will Racial Disparities Lead to Democratic Erosion? by Eseosa Osayi @ Georgia State University

May 3, 2018 | Georgia State University

Racial Disparities & Democratization The racial disparities in the criminal justice system seem to be covert, but with research can easily be seen over time. Criminalizing one group of Americans...

The Art of the Compromise (?): A Playbook by Sam Sharman @ Georgia State University

May 3, 2018 | Georgia State University

To personally experience the issues of polarization discussed throughout this course, my class split into groups of five with the goal of agreeing on a general solution to reduce gun violence in the...

“Mission Accomplished!”: Donald Trump’s Use of Social Media as a Tool of Distraction by Judson Elsholz @ Georgia State University

May 1, 2018 | Georgia State University

President Donald J. Trump’s use of social media, namely Twitter, has set a surprising new precedence for administrative communications in the United States. Trump himself has referred to his...

Countering Media Hegemony: The Perspective of Propaganda by Michelle Sto. Tomas @ University of the Philippines, Diliman

May 1, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

The purpose of hegemony of Antonio Gramsci to originally create discourse on the domination of the ruling elites to preserve power and control has evolved to how mass media have been used to...