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...

The Threat of Extreme Partisanship in the Post-Trump Era: Warnings from the Ouster of Kevin McCarthy

Oct 18, 2023 | Boston University

On October 3rd, 2023, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House of Representatives in a 216-210 vote, becoming the first person in American history to ever be...

India’s Free Speech Censorship is Ruining Democracy

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

India’s democratic backsliding has been a topic of concern for many decades. However, in recent years, the censorship of free speech in particular has led to detrimental...

What had been normalized is finally being confronted head on by Jillian Seigel @ Skidmore College

Mar 30, 2018 | Skidmore College

On March 24th, thousands of people across the country and around the world took to the streets and protested American gun laws. With the United States being one of the most powerful countries in the...

Stagnation as Erosion: Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s Monopoly by Ginger Li @ Yale University

Mar 29, 2018 | Yale University

Since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan has enjoyed near complete control of the Japanese government. It has only failed to hold a majority for four of the past sixty-three years.[1]...

President Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius Resigns in the Face of Scandal: A Lesson in Accountability By: Bailey Markowski @ The Ohio State University

Mar 29, 2018 | Ohio State University

One of the most important aspects of a functioning democracy is its ability to hold its leaders accountable. A lack of checks and balances or of electoral accountability can lead to democratic...

Moreno’s Transition to Power: Ecuador’s Uncertain Political Future by Valeria Menendez @ Yale University

Mar 29, 2018 | Yale University

Ecuador's former president, Rafael Correa, was elected three times with over 55% of the vote in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Correa's Alianza Pais (AP) party has dominated parliament for quite a long time....

How President Trump Lies and Fires His Way Towards Authoritarianism by Dominique Kren @American University

Mar 29, 2018 | American University

On March 23, CNN Politics released an article titled “This White House Just Keeps Not Telling the Truth Over and Over and Over Again”, a sentiment which has been repeated across news outlets since...

Ian Khama’s Abuse of the Executive in Botswana by Seth Bartlett @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

Botswana is often considered the poster child of post-colonial democratic transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been lauded for maintaining apparently free and fair elections as well as for its...

A Well Regulated Resistance by Jake Farris @ American University

Mar 28, 2018 | American University

#ThoughtsAndPrayers We see this phrase trod out after every mass shooting in America, but little has been done to galvanize citizenry, let alone the legislature, to make impactful changes to gun...

In Northern Ireland, Ideological Binaries Give Way to Ebbs and Flows of Democratic Backsliding by Emil Friedman @ Yale University

Mar 28, 2018 | Yale University

The story of modern democracy in Northern Ireland is a story of intense path dependency. And at the start of that path was the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of April 1998, which introduced two...

Zuma’s out, so where does this leave South Africa’s democracy? by Ruchi Kirtikar @ Columbia University

Mar 28, 2018 | Columbia University

Nietzsche has likened corruption to the annual arrival of autumn. In some countries, this changing season may be manufactured by a coup, the potential beginning of democratic backsliding. In others,...