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.

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear By Fotios E. Meimeteas Imagine you are a single mother in the United States, raising four children who depend on you. You have established a new life, built a home, paid taxes, and lived in the United States for...

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...

The Erosion Threat of the Venezuelan Crisis

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

The shape of the Venezuelan nation has been suffering for decades now. What was once a booming country has been on a rapid decline. The petrostate quality of the nation has...

A Win for Democracy in Poland: How the Opposition Overcame the Authoritarian PiS Party in October Elections

Nov 21, 2023 | Northeastern University

In their past eight years of control, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has eroded judicial and constitution checks and balances while centralizing media ownership....

The Unwritten Rules in Rhode Island’s Speaker Dilemma by Lars Barstad

Feb 2, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

The state of Rhode Island has a severely imbalanced distribution of power within its House of Representatives. Specifically, the Speaker of the House never loses a vote. I only recently learned...

City of Providence Aims to Prohibit All Property Demolitions and Increase Nurse Practitioner & Teacher Diversity by Alex Riddle

Feb 2, 2019 | Rhode Island School of Design

The City of Providence strong-arms business opportunities with new limitations to property demolitions and developments. Are our representatives acting in our best interest? THE SCENE: 444...

Is democracy declining in Israel? by Tal Been, Gal Factor, Or Hcabra, Shaked Infeld, Tally Kyegan, Noam Noy, Daniel Padon,and Sharon Somech

Jan 14, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

The Department of Government and Politics at Ben-Gurion University recently hosted (17/2/18) a panel entitled: “Is democracy declining in Israel?,” featuring prominent scholars who study the Israeli...

Is Democratic Backsliding Sometimes a Democratic Choice? by Ji’Carla Martínez @University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Dec 10, 2018 | University of Louisiana, Lafayette

As defined by political scientists, democratic backsliding is the gradual breakdown of democratic institutions within a country. With the rise of populism and nationalism being reflected in various...

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...