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.

Freedom of Speech and Media in Bangladesh: The Exploitation of Media and Restriction of Free Speech as a Tool to Advance Electoral Autocracy

Jun 11, 2022 | Koç University

“Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets..” Napoleon Bonaparte Freedom of Speech is one of the fundamental pillar stones of international...

The Rise of Far Right Populism in Spain

Jun 11, 2022 | Koç University

Photo:The far-right Vox party has been called far-right, anti-immigration and anti-Islam Vox has risen towards becoming Spain's third strongest party. As a result of its...

Criminal Justice Reform is Necessary for Equality by Oluwabomi Fagbemi @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

I attended #ReformPhilly: Bringing Injustice to Light, an event organized by Roc Nation in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania’s Political Science department and student activist groups...

Security an Obstacle to Democratization in Burkina Faso by Oluwabomi Fagbemi @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

Democratization efforts face many significant obstacles in Burkina Faso. The most notable one might however be the history of the country itself. Known as Africa’s coup capital, the country has seen...

Poland’s Holocaust Law is the Latest Anti-Democratic Effort by PiS by Matthew Graff @ The University of Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

Poland is perhaps the most well-known nation-state undergoing serious democratic erosion, in part because it is Eastern Europe’s strongest economy and seen as a model for other post-Soviet states of...

Consensus in Committee and Community by Ginger Li @ Yale University

Mar 18, 2018 | Yale University

On February 21, 2018 at the New Haven City Hall, the Education Committee of the New Haven Board of Alders convened for a “Workshop on the Welfare of the Recent Student Arrivals from Puerto Rico.”...

“Post-Hurricane Maria, the NHV Education Committee Responds to Community Concerns” by Shannon Flores @ Yale University

Mar 17, 2018 | Yale University

On Wednesday, February 21st, the Board of Alders’ Education Committee held a public workshop to discuss the welfare of recent student arrivals from Puerto Rico. Present at the meeting were a number...

Dubious Democracy in New Haven by Seth Bartlett @ Yale University

Mar 17, 2018 | Yale University

Last Tuesday, I attended the bimonthly New Haven Board of Alders public meeting. This meeting was not one of particular intrigue, the issues discussed would hardly be considered “hot button,”...

New Haven Residents Keep Wells Fargo Divestment on Aldermanic Agenda by Sarah Armstrong @ Yale University

Mar 17, 2018 | Yale University

On March 5, New Haven’s Board of Alders conducted an open meeting—as they do twice each month—to review proposed legislation. With my own pew in the sparsely populated aldermanic chamber, I watched...

Violence, Corruption, Repression and Lack of Transparency Make for Democratic Erosion – By Agustin Arreola @ University of California Los Angeles

Mar 17, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

One of the main reasons why democracy in some countries have failed or reverted to authoritarian regimes is due to corruption and violence. This happens to be the most serious problem faced...

Why Hungary is democracy’s biggest threat

Mar 16, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

The greatest threat to Western democracy is the veiled autocratic regime of Hungary. It has survived a decade of diminishing citizen and judiciary rights, and has still been able to gain...