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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

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...

US Gun Control and Democratic Erosion

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

The very tumultuous and vibrant discourse that is Gun Control in the United States is something that has been contributing to the downfall of our country's democracy for...

Sitting In & Listening by Andrew Kim

Feb 12, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

On January 30, 2019 I had the opportunity to sit in on an open meeting with the City of Providence. The Economic Development Advisory Committee was meeting to progress their discussion regarding...

How The 2016 Presidential Election Shed Light on Democratic Backsliding by Sophie Secor

Feb 12, 2019 | Boston University

The 2016 Trump campaign was unlike any other campaign that America has ever seen. The highly publicized, and infamous candidate was anything but a politician. Rumors of Russian interference in the...

The “Trump of the Tropics”: How Much Danger Does Bolsonaro Pose? – by Dean Weeden

Feb 12, 2019 | Boston University

The global rise of nationalism in recent years has given rise to far-right movements across the globe, but its effects have been contained primarily in the United States, and the West (think...

Government Shutdowns and Democratic Legitimacy by H. Upchurch

Feb 12, 2019 | American University

The longest government shutdown to date ended on 25 January 2019, and unless Congress reaches a deal on the border, the government will shut down again in three days. Republican support for the last...

The United States Has Joined the Sad Roster of Backsliding Democracies by Nikki Tolenoa

Feb 12, 2019 | Boston University

Since the moment that current President Trump had been elected as the next President of the United States, the entire world has kept an eye on the United States with curiosity and hesitance at hand....

Revolutionary Piety (MLK Keynote Speaker Cornel West) by Kat Vizcardo

Feb 11, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

On January 23, 2019, the RISD community and I had the honor in attending a lecture by Dr. Cornel West at the Rhode Island School of Design for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. West is an activist...

Brazilian democracy under threat: the pathway that led President Bolsonaro to power by Eugênia Álvares Affonso

Feb 11, 2019 | Boston University

On October 28, 2018, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, from PSL (Social Liberal Party), was elected president of Brazil with 55 percent of valid votes on the second round of the elections. Despite of having...

A Case of Democratic Erosion: How Georgia’s Exact Match Policy Compromises Free and Fair Elections by Emilie Larsen

Feb 11, 2019 | Boston University

Controversy over voter access is a reoccurring figure in American political debate, most recently revitalized by the 2018 midterm elections. While concerns over voter access were raised in...

South Africa Must Reflect on Its Past Before May Elections by Samantha Rip

Feb 11, 2019 | American University

South Africa’s General Elections will be coming after a period of rampant political corruption and decay of democratic institutions. The elections, which are being held in May, will elect members of...