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...

Economic Inequality and Democratic Political Engagement

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

As one of the world's leading economies, the European economic model receives a lot of attention from experts, businesses, and investors. Compared to the U.S. economic...

Is a New Depolarization Process Possible in Brazil?

Jun 9, 2022 | Koç University

Brazil faces the most important elections in its history. Jair Bolsonaro is seeking re-election, while Lula da Silva is seeking to return to the presidency. A duel between...

Is Germany’s Latest Shift a Sign of Things Gone Too Far Wrong? by Naba Khan @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While Angela Merkel remains in power for the fourth election in a row, there has been a shift in Germany’s government. For the first time, the country’s far-right party has won seats in parliament....

Fake News, Real Consequences: The Shaping of a Propaganda Machine by Victoria Saeed @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Between dodging criticisms from San Juan's Carmen Yulín Cruz, exchanging verbal blows with Kim Jong-un, and maintaining a healthy golfing schedule; Donald Trump has managed to escalate his ongoing...

Donald Trump and Populist Rhetoric in 140 Characters or Less by Anna Spier @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

President Donald Trump is no stranger to twitter. His tweets are frequent and he makes no obvious effort to hide his true opinions on a vast array of subjects, from foreign affairs, to the media, to...

Trump’s Polarizing Presidentialism, Poeticized by Eminem by Kate Jamison @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

The Trump Administration has done an excellent job of staying present in the media, between the president’s tweets threatening to start a nuclear war with North Korea to the viral video of him...

Mass Surveillance + Populism = A Threat to Public Safety and Democracy by Lukas McMahon @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A free, liberal democracy should not spy on its citizens. But the United States does, and it may continue to indefinitely, which puts its citizens at risk of persecution — especially with the rise...

Undermining the Miners: Political Strategies of Partisan Governments by Kaylie Piecuch @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A democratic government is a type of a government representative of all constituents. Many Americans have held on to the belief that we are the winning Miss Democracy in a pageant for equality and...

Nevada and the right to legally bear weapons of a mass shooting: a freedom or a sign of democratic backsliding? by Dorothy Spector @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

In wake of the recent mass shooting in Nevada, one of the deadliest shootings in American history, the debate on why legislation's have not been put in place to prevent such events reappears....

Spain, Stop Hiding Behind Smokescreens by Maxine Moore @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While talk of a referendum regarding Catalonia becoming independent from Spain has been occurring for months, on October 1st, Catalonia finally voted. Madrid did everything in its power in hopes of...

Corruption, Frustration, and the Risk of Democratic Breakdown in Brazil by Julia Banas @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Brazil’s “The South is My Country” secessionist movement is only the most recent addition to what could be democratic breakdown. Brazil’s risk for democratic breakdown has only increased with the...