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.

Fighting Fake News: Lessons from the World’s Top Target

2018 was a year of awakening in Taiwan. Two high-profile events threw the consequences of fake news into relief. First, Su Chii-cherng, the envoy to Osaka for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, took his own life in September 2018 after false reports about him...

Can Democracies Wait Another 2,500 Years to Meet Today’s Needs?

In 500 BC, during Athens' golden age of democracy, the voting age was set at 18. Over 2,500 years later, this threshold remains the same in the vast majority (90%) of countries. However, as democracies grapple with rising populism, authoritarianism, marginalization of...

Présidence Impériale: Executive Aggrandizement in Macron’s France

Amidst significant challenges to France’s democracy, President Emmanuel Macron has ignored democratic norms and abused constitutional articles to expand his own power—periling France’s democracy.

Protecting Children: Populist Logic and the American Right

Brown University

Across the United States, socially conservative policies that coalesce around the notion of protecting children have been increasingly proposed and established. From banning...

How Populism Threatens Georgia’s Alignment With the West

Brown University

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves across the West. Long-time geopolitical neutrals Finland and Sweden joined NATO, and many Western countries levied...

Russian Influence Efforts and the ‘Russophobia’ Narrative in the Baltic States; Evidence from Latvia and Georgia.

Arizona State University

Co-Authored by Aiselyn Anaya-Hall and John Kaye Since long before the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the world, and particularly the independent states of the...

Crackdown of the Civil Society in Belarus

Arizona State University

By Carly Chabrier and Veera Tyhtilä On 23 July 2021, the Ministry of Justice of Belarus forced 43 non-governmental organizations to close and terminate all their activities. Among the...

University of Utah

On a seemingly normal day, America witnessed a threat to democracy. As Joe Biden was gearing up to take office after a turbulent election period, a group of Trump supporters and white supremacists...

Bolivian Opposition Leader Fernando Camacho’s Arrest Exemplifies Bolivia’s Polarization

University of Utah

On December 28, 2023, prominent Bolivian right-wing opposition leader Fernando Camacho was arrested in the city of Santa Cruz on terrorism charges. Camacho’s arrest exemplifies increasing...

Japan, The United States, and Democracy: A Push into Modernization

University of Utah

Democracy is what the United States prides itself on and the very base of every political decision, using it as justification for foreign affairs like Afghanistan, solidifying same-sex marriage as a...

How Claims of Fraudulent Elections Threaten Trust in American Democracy

University of Utah

Trump supporters at a 'stop the steal' protest in Atlanta, Georgia In the past few years, the United States has experienced unprecedented levels of claims of a fraudulent or stolen election. The...

How Gerrymandering Happens and the Threat it Poses

University of Utah

Gerrymandering is one of the most divisive issues in the United States, and for good reason. In fact, in 2021 CNN reported that voters consider gerrymandering to be biggest election related issue in...

How Data Collection Undermines Democracy

University of Utah

When using personal and private data, artificial intelligence can fundamentally discriminate against race, religion, and sex and the lack of data privacy permits therefore permits gerrymandering and...

Mike Lee: Utah’s Own Disloyal Opposition

University of Utah

A look into Utah state senator Mike Lee and how his direct involvement with the January 6th insurrection is dangerous to American democracy. You don’t have to be a political scientist to agree that...

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