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.

Demagogues: Turning America into the Child Left Behind

The emergence of technofascist demagogues in American politics pose a significant threat to democracy and education, highlighting the urgent need for critical thinking and informed choices to protect the nation’s future.

Trump’s Evolved Form of Populism Works… and Hurts.

President Donald Trump’s second term in office has brought forth a more evolved form of populism; by incorporating authoritarian methods of governing with populist tactics, Trump is doing significant damage to America’s democracy.

The Judicial Branch’s Downfall

By ruling with bias, the Judicial Branch is overstepping its constitutional role and threatening the integrity of our separation of powers and system of checks and balances.

Who Should Control the Flow of Information in the Information Age: Private Businesses?

Sep 16, 2022 | Suffolk University

Apple iPhone, with many social media apps We practically live on our phones, the average use time on an iPhone is 5-6 hours a day. Given the fact that we are constantly...

Carrots and Sticks: How the Greek Government Undermined Free and Independent Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sep 1, 2022 | Dartmouth College

While Hungary and Poland dominate the discussion of democratic erosion in Europe, it is Greece that ranks last in media freedom among European Union member-states. Since the...

Is Argentina on a Democratic Upswing or Deceptive Stagnation Previously Established by the Kirchner Administration? by Samantha Moan @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner followed in the footsteps of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, bringing in a new leftist wave of populism to Argentina. Kirchner’s efforts to censor the media, degrade...

¡Viva la corrupción, la libertad, y la Democracia! — Long Live Corruption, Liberty, and Democracy! by Celina Avalos @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

In a time where rights, freedom, and democracy are being threatened across Western democracies, it’s imperative to ask the question: why are democracies failing? However, in focusing on the...

Poland’s Populist Party Changing the Court System: a threat to democracy? by Carolyn Stephens @ UCLA

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

In 2016, the populist Law and Justice party (PiS) of Poland gained a majority in the lower house of parliament without a coalition. The party consequently used their legislative power to adjust the...

The Fall of Venezuelan Democracy by RJ Teijeiro @ UCLA

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

On March 13, Venezuelan police arrested former interior minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres. Torres had been a vocal critic of the current president, Nicolas Maduro, since he was removed from office....

Italy’s 5-Star Pummel With Populism! By Jonathan Kidd @ UCLA

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

“…And yet, the amateurs are the ones conquering the world and I’m rejoicing in it because the professionals are the ones who have reduced the world to this state”(Durden). - Beppe Grillo A Dangerous...

Italy’s Dilemma: Can they save themselves from democratic backsliding? by Katelyn Ogunmowo @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Ellen Lust, in Unwelcome Change: Understanding, Evaluating, and Extending Theories of Democratic Backsliding describes the concept of democratic backsliding as “a deterioration of qualities...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Demagogues: Turning America into the Child Left Behind

Trump’s Evolved Form of Populism Works… and Hurts.

The Judicial Branch’s Downfall

Who Should Control the Flow of Information in the Information Age: Private Businesses?

Carrots and Sticks: How the Greek Government Undermined Free and Independent Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Is Argentina on a Democratic Upswing or Deceptive Stagnation Previously Established by the Kirchner Administration? by Samantha Moan @ University of California, Los Angeles

¡Viva la corrupción, la libertad, y la Democracia! — Long Live Corruption, Liberty, and Democracy! by Celina Avalos @ University of California, Los Angeles

Poland’s Populist Party Changing the Court System: a threat to democracy? by Carolyn Stephens @ UCLA

The Fall of Venezuelan Democracy by RJ Teijeiro @ UCLA

Italy’s 5-Star Pummel With Populism! By Jonathan Kidd @ UCLA

Italy’s Dilemma: Can they save themselves from democratic backsliding? by Katelyn Ogunmowo @ University of California, Los Angeles

Putin: “Managing” Democracy by Isabelle McGrew @ University of California Los Angeles

DEATH TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY by SAMUEL BROGADIR @ UCLA

Will the Philippines Soon Turn Into a Dictatorship? by Nick Scheidler @ University of California, Los Angeles

Join Our Listserv