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.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

A Continuous Push Forward for LGBTQ+ Rights in Mexico

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The current state of Mexico in regard to LGBTQ+ rights is overall heading in a positive direction. On April 27th, 2022, Jalisco became the 27th state to legalize same-sex...

Poland’s Abuses of Power at Its Border and the Decline of Democracy

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Poland’s treatment of migrants at its border with Belarus are symptomatic of the country’s turn away from democracy that has taken place over the past few years. Many...

How to Govern an Ideologically Fractured Party by Alexander Henshaw-Greene @ Boston University

Nov 15, 2017 | Boston University

In Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Acemoglu and Robinson defines society as two groups; a rich elite dedicated to protecting property rights and favorable to non-democratic policy...

Is Climate Change (and Trump’s Attitude) Threatening to Democracy? by Julia Banas @ Boston University

Nov 15, 2017 | Boston University

Climate change and democracy are not often thought of as topics that go together, but the two intertwine more than one would expect. The United States is currently the only country that is not in...

Fake News and Its Strain on Democracy by Sam Beermann @ Boston University

Nov 15, 2017 | Boston University

“Fake News” has been a hot topic ever since the Presidential election in 2016. One main question people have is what exactly constitutes “fake news”? The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term fake...

The Future of the American Presidency by Rohan Joshi @ Boston University

Nov 15, 2017 | Boston University

One of the cornerstones of American democracy is the executive branch, led by a democratically elected president who represents the views of the majority of the American electorate. This president...

123s, ACABs: The Problem with the American Police State by Victoria Saeed @ Boston University

Nov 14, 2017 | Boston University

Since its first appearance in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, #BlackLivesMatter has become a highly-controversial statement for a nation reluctant...

SENSOR ON CAMPUS by KAYLIE PIECUCH @ BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Nov 14, 2017 | Boston University

Colleges to some resemble grassy knolls where young intellectuals empty their wallets and toss Frisbees, for others, it’s a place of aggressive opinion holders who have found an outlet for constant...

Polarization and the NRA by Emma Shaw @ Boston University

Nov 14, 2017 | Boston University

2017 has seen 389 mass shootings in 314 days. While all agree that these events are tragedies and all too common, the necessity of political action has been the source of disagreement for...

What About “Whataboutism” is Dangerous to Democracy? By Gianpaulo Pons @ Boston University.

Nov 14, 2017 | Boston University

The American population has seen Donald Trump interact and debate in politics for over two years now, and many of his speech tactics have been studied to understand how he’s able to communicate so...

In the Name of Guns: Nonviolent Resistance and the NRA by Rachel Burke @ Boston University

Nov 14, 2017 | Boston University

In 2013, President Obama addressed the nation with tears in his eyes regarding the massacre of twenty first graders at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Now, it is 2017, and the death toll at Sandy Hook...