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.

Shaking Up Democracy: Is Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform Democratic Backsliding?

Is Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform Democratic Backsliding?

When Violence Breaks the Surface: The Kirk Incident as a Warning for American Democracy

By Stavros Ligris The shooting of Charlie Kirk during a university event in Utah this September has been described as shocking, tragic, and destabilizing. But it should also be understood as part of a larger pattern of democratic decline in the United States. What...

First 100 Days, More Like First 100 Hours: How Trump’s First 100 Days Played Out Against Trump’s Second 100 Hours

Indiana Senator Jim Banks, a staunch Trump ally, predicted that President Trump’s return to power would be characterized by “shock and awe.” In many ways, the events of President Trump’s first 100 hours in office during his second term have lived up to that promise....

Political Polarization and Economic Inequality: How the United States is Democratically Eroding

Oct 17, 2022 | Boston University

An analysis of American democratic erosion is conducted leveraging findings from political science professors Sheri Berman and Ozan Varol. Particular attention is paid to...

Democratic Backsliding in the Massachusetts State House

Oct 17, 2022 | Boston University

As we well know, democracy is not a stable thing. It is fragile and easily threatened, yet idealized and strived for all around the world. In one moment it can be strong as...

What Press Freedom Rankings Miss About Pakistan by Ali Raza Galani @ The University of Memphis

Apr 1, 2018 | University of Memphis

Reporters without Borders ranks Pakistan as 139 out of 180 countries in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, making it one of the freest in Asia when it comes to reporting on politics. The report...

Resistance Through Persistence: The Affirmative Action of the Saratoga Immigration Coalition by Hannah Hoey @ Skidmore College

Apr 1, 2018 | Skidmore College

As an international student in Saratoga Springs, I have a vested interest in the welfare of my fellow immigrants in this city. However, living on campus at Skidmore College is rather its own bubble,...

Democratic Turmoil Causing Hardship in Poland by Pragathi Guruprasad @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 30, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

For many years, Poland was regarded as the leading pro-democracy nation within Eastern Europe. Its seamless transition from communism was an example for other countries to follow. It soon became the...

First Amendment Education by Wallace Anne Cloud @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

This week I attended a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County entitled “The First Amendment: Our Obligation to Assemble, Protest, and Protect the Free Press.” According to...

Diversity in Non-violent Direct Action: The March for Black Lives by Max Mapes @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

Boston's March for Our Lives The year is 2018. The day: March 24. 50,000-100,000 people are lined up in front of Madison Park High School, Boston, MA. "Youth" are asked to walk in the front,...

Why Polish judicial reforms go too far by Luke Shapiro @ Columbia University

Mar 30, 2018 | Columbia University

The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) passed a series of controversial measures to overhaul the country’s judiciary late last year. In response, the European Commission (EC) took the unprecedented...

“For Students and Supporters Across the US, Prayers Are No Longer Enough” by Anne Pfeifenberger @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

Students have taken to the streets in the largest showing of a student led movement since the Anti-War Movement protesting U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On March 24, students, teachers, and...

5 reasons to lower the voting age by Yanebi Blanco @Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

Last Saturday, March 24, 2018, I experienced first hand what I am convinced will be a defining event in United States history: the 'March for our lives' rally in Washington DC. As I was standing...

“Each ‘End’ of Phil Murphy’s Gubernatorial Campaign” by Dylan Quinn @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

On a hot June day in Newark, just under twenty individuals huddled around a conference speaker. Unconstructed cubicles, boxes filled with office supplies, and Keurig coffees cups littered the stuffy...