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.

South Africa’s Democracy Isn’t Collapsing, It’s Quietly Eroding

South Africa’s democracy remains intact on paper, but corruption, governance failures, and declining public trust reveal how democratic erosion can quietly unfold when both political elites weaken institutions and citizens lose faith in democracy’s ability to deliver real change.

Identity Survival Amongst Democratically Eroded Ethno-Religious Conflicts

When politics between religious governments turn into a contest for identity survival, democracy institutions stop being referees and start becoming weapons.

Poland’s Democratic Decline Was Reversible

In 2015, Poland experienced a significant decrease in democracy. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), under Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s leadership, secured victories in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. In a matter of months, the government acted to diminish the...

Zimbabwe: A Democracy in Crisis?

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

BLOG POST When it comes to democracy in the modern world, Zimbabawe’s democratic system finds itself in a precariously unique position where it seeks to find a balance...

India Silenced: A Threat to Freedom of Expression

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

With a population of almost 1.4 billion citizens, the 5th largest economy in the world, and know to be one of the largest democracies in the world; it is evident that there...

Bolsonaro’s Problematic Admirations and their Autocratic Undertones

Feb 15, 2019 | Boston University

Brazil’s recently elected 38th president, Jair Bolsonaro, has spread his name globally through his offensive comments and provocative far-right political views. While these things have earned him...

Democratic Erosion in Haiti and Voter Confidence by Samuel Reeder

Feb 14, 2019 | American University

Voter participation in Haiti has been declining exponentially over the past few decades with the last presidential election only receiving at best estimates 23% of voters and at worst 17% of voters...

Venezuelan democracy at a point of no return: The 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections by Jarell Insang

Feb 14, 2019 | Boston University

Since the death of President Hugo Chávez in 2013, President Nicolas Maduro has presided over Venezuela as head of state with what some would call, an “iron fist”. Through the use of presidential...

How the Democratic Shutdown is Threatening the United States Democratic Legitimacy by Chad Krys

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

The most recent United States government shutdown of 35 days recently ended on January 25th. This wasn’t the first shutdown: there have been 13 government shutdowns since 1981, but the threat of...

“The Insidious Underpinnings of the Longest Shutdown in American History” by Lily Bryant

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

It was roughly three weeks ago when the longest government shutdown in American history came to an end in a frankly shocking moment of bipartisanship. The recent spending bill - passed in Congress...

The Polish threat to the integrity of the European Union by Aram Martirosyan

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

The rise in the number of right wing nationalist governments over the recent years has not inspired an optimistic outlook on the prospect of the world affairs as it stands. The...

John Adams, Donald Trump, and the Painful Saga of American Authoritarianism by Eli Kramer

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

On January 27th of 2017, seated in front of the Presidential Seal, U.S President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13769, barring any citizen from seven countries -- Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia,...

Unconfirmed and Unaccountable: Trump’s Embrace of Acting Agency Heads Erodes Democracy by Nicholas Bornstein

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

Just over a month ago, President Donald Trump remarked to a group of reporters that, “…my actings are doing really great… I sort of like ‘acting’. It gives me more flexibility; do you understand...

How the Republican Party Failed to Keep a Populist Demagogue off of the 2016 Presidential Ballot by Kendall Sirica

Feb 13, 2019 | Boston University

In the months leading up to and following Donald Trump receiving the official nomination as the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, it was obvious that Democratic politicians opposed him,...