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.

Legislative Capture and the Erosion of Democracy in India

After coming into power following the 2014 election, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated an alarming backsliding of democratic institutions and practices. Having recently become the world’s most populous country, India’s dip in authoritarianism should...

Fujimori or Sánchez – How Peru Loses Either Way

In the April 2026 presidential elections in Peru there was a total of 35 candidates. As we approach the runoff vote on the top two candidates, Peruvians are going to be choosing between Keiko Fujimori and her opponent Roberto Sánchez. Both politicians are...

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

Comparing the modern day struggles of democracy against reproductive rights to stealth authoritarianism.

‘The rest of the world is looking,’ – President Biden Delivers a Warning on U.S. Democratic Backsliding Preceding 2024 Election.

Nov 17, 2023 | Salem State University

On September 28, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a speech commemorating the late senator John McCain, addressing the state of democratic backsliding in America, and...

Artificial Intelligence and Authoritarian Governments

Nov 17, 2023 | Salem State University

It's common knowledge that countries like China, North Korea and Russia restrict internet access to keep ideas out and rebellions in. They will use any excuse to monitor,...

United States of Democracy

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Before World War II, America tried to keep to itself. The young country was trying to keep its head above water after decades of economic recessions off and on. After the two World Wars, America...

Much A Coup About Nothing: Examining the Distinction Without Difference Between Coups d’Etat and Promissory Coups by Steve Noyes @ University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Exploring the concept of the promissory coup as it relates to the traditional coup d'etat. The general global decline in coups d’état, while a positive facet of the ever-changing...

Backrubbers of the Elite: on the U.S Surveillance State & Doubting the “Arc of History”

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

There is almost no other political expression as irritatingly frustrating to me as the “arc of history” is. The phrase, as popularized by President Obama during his tenure, has become a safety...

A Not So Secret Ballot? By: Jackson A. Jimenez @University of Louisiana

Dec 9, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Are digital voter files undermining free and fair elections in the United States? Could the United States’ democratic electoral processes be under assault at the hands of...

Silent vs. Screaming: How Millennials are Giving Up Privacy while the Silent Generation Hangs On by Molly Simpson @ University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Dec 8, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Pippa Norris’s article Is Western Democracy Backsliding? Diagnosing the Risks analyzes period, life-cycle, and generation effects in public opinion. It was an intriguing read...

Speech into Action: Do Social Media Companies have an Obligation to Curtail Hate Groups? By Zach Hopkins @ Georgia State University

Dec 3, 2018 | Georgia State University

We live in a world where democracy seems to be wavering and polarization intensifying with each passing moment. What role do large social media companies have in aiding this divide or perhaps...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Legislative Capture and the Erosion of Democracy in India

Fujimori or Sánchez – How Peru Loses Either Way

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

‘The rest of the world is looking,’ – President Biden Delivers a Warning on U.S. Democratic Backsliding Preceding 2024 Election.

Artificial Intelligence and Authoritarian Governments

United States of Democracy

Much A Coup About Nothing: Examining the Distinction Without Difference Between Coups d’Etat and Promissory Coups by Steve Noyes @ University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Backrubbers of the Elite: on the U.S Surveillance State & Doubting the “Arc of History”

A Not So Secret Ballot? By: Jackson A. Jimenez @University of Louisiana

Silent vs. Screaming: How Millennials are Giving Up Privacy while the Silent Generation Hangs On by Molly Simpson @ University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Reaching a Compromise on Gun Safety by Matthew Mottet @ Georgia State University

The Ultimate Fight: U.S.A. vs Populism by Kaylan Anderson @University of Louisiana at Lafayette

The Viségrad Group: The New Illiberal Democratic Bloc by Kameron Williams @ University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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