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 COVID-19 Pandemic and the Rise of Right-Wing Populism: Democratic Erosion in Spain, Italy, and Sweden

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected many things, one of which is the powers that hold congressional power in many countries. Many countries with democracies or core...

Democratic Erosion Causes In Israel

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

An analysis of democratic backsliding in Israel that have led to today This post analyzes the structures from both a societal standpoint and a structural standpoint in...

Women will Ensure the Democratic Future of Tunisia by Anagha Kadambi @ American University

Mar 27, 2018 | American University

Tunisia was thrust into the international spotlight when a protest movement that swept the nation led to the resignation of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the longtime dictator of the country, on January...

Puerto Rican Student Arrivals in New Haven by Tyler Morley @ Yale University

Mar 26, 2018 | Yale University

On September 20, Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico with the intensity of a category 4 storm. The storm battered the island for hours destroying electrical transmission towers, homes,...

Back and Forth: Romanian democracy is teetering by Marissa Kelly @ The Ohio State University

Mar 26, 2018 | Ohio State University

Only a year after massive, week-long demonstrations—the likes of which had not been seen in Romania since the demonstrations leading up to the fall of the Communism—Romanians took to the streets...

The Outsiders by Evelyn Kennedy @ The Ohio State University

Mar 25, 2018 | Ohio State University

Donald Trump both gets a lot of flak and creates a proud identity for himself as a political outsider and former reality star. Off the screen and into the Beltway, he played on this “outsider”...

Hungary’s Embrace of Illiberal Democracy by Nicole Wells @ American University

Mar 25, 2018 | American University

Just before the Hungarian national election in 2014, Prime Minister Victor Orban declared his intention to build an illiberal state in Hungary. Orban said the “Hungarian nation is not a simple sum...

In Ukraine, Revolutionary Hopes and Democratic Limbo by Joseph Glandorf @ The Ohio State University

Mar 24, 2018 | Ohio State University

On March 3, police in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, forcibly dismantled a camp of anticorruption protesters outside the Ukrainian Parliament, resulting in a violent clash, about 20 injuries, and over 100...

Too Many Acts of Violence Involved in Sierra Leonean General Election, 2018, Hurt the Democracy in Sierra Leone by Lei Guo @ Ohio State University

Mar 24, 2018 | Ohio State University

On March 7th, the voting result of Sierra Leonean General Election, 2018 came out. Turned out, Julius Maada Bio from Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) got 43.3% of the total votes. Samura Kamara,...

Parliament vs President – Is decentralizing executive power actually harming Georgia’s democracy? By Aaron Riggins @ The Ohio State University

Mar 23, 2018 | Ohio State University

Georgia is no stranger to authoritarianism. A former soviet republic, the country has been staving off both domestic and foreign attempts to subvert its democracy for decades. In the last twenty...

Hope in Paraguay by Mohamed Farah @ The Ohio State University

Mar 23, 2018 | Ohio State University

A leftist government, a coup orchestrated by the right, and somehow, after all of this: an election. This may sound like a political thriller set to hit the box office, but this is the political...