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.

The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse's presidency marked a dangerous shift from Haiti's already shaky democracy to overt authoritarianism. Delayed elections, unchecked abuse of executive power, and violent suppression of resistance became the norm. By the time of his assassination in 2021,...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a negative impact on democracy as a whole. Such a system depends on the free transmission of...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have turned against one another. As both camps sling disinformation against each other, the...

US Democracy: Racism Has Always Been the Problem

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

Republican rallies supporting candidates for the upcoming US midterm elections have campaigned on increasingly blatant racist rhetoric. Some media outlets have claimed that...

How Biden and Harris Have Not Seen the Big Picture Surrounding their Debt Relief Plan

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

Just last night on October 14th, Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan...

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,...

In His Consolidated Authoritarian Regime, Putin Masquerades Democracy by Sarah Armstrong @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

While Russia masquerades characteristics of democracy, President Vladimir Putin presides over an authoritarian political system with power concentrated entirely in his regime. Lacking an independent...

Does the Deteriorating Legitimacy of Several of Ghana’s Democratic Institutions Threaten its Status as a Model Democracy for Africa? by Tyler Morley @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

The 2016 Presidential election in Ghana was one of the more anticipated sub-Saharan election in recent history. As Ghana is often referred to as a “model democracy” for sub-Saharan Africa,...

Repeated State of Emergency Declaration (SOE) in Ethiopia, a Risk of a Slide to a Closed Autocracy by Soli Gebremichael @American University

Mar 28, 2018 | American University

Befekadu Hailu, a renowned blogger; was taken from his house by civilian clothed security forces on November 11th, 2016 morning. He spent the followed 33 days in a detention camp, being forced of...

Constitutional Change Leads to Democratic Erosion in Bolivia by Emma Nelson @ Georgia State University

Mar 27, 2018 | Georgia State University

Even though it would seem that when a country analyzes and rewrites parts of their constitution it would be a step forward, is this actually the case? Thomas Jefferson once said that a constitution...

Decline of Democracy Via Term Limits in Africa: Why the Support and Maintenance is Critical by Andre’ James Thomas @ American University

Mar 27, 2018 | American University

Term limits and mainly their removal has been widely sought after in African politics. From 1990-2009, twenty-four presidents of varying countries attempted a constitutional amendment and twelve...