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...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

Tunisia’s current democratic backslide

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

Africa as a whole has faced many challenges, notably colonization, which impeded the progress of many of its nations. The legacy of colonization persists, with numerous...

Hong Kong’s Autonomy Eroding: The Impact of the National Security Law

Oct 16, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Hong Kong, once hailed for its "One country, two systems" framework that promised a high degree of autonomy in various aspects of governance, has been witnessing a gradual...

Trusting the Austrian System by Ron Fornaro @ Ohio State University

Mar 22, 2018 | Ohio State University

Intro On Monday, March 12th, 2018 an Austrian court struck down a law that would have taken away the rights of refugees and other migrant groups to receive health care and other benefits[1]. This...

Political Strife Over “President for Life:” Bolivia’s Outcry Over Morales’ Fourth Term By Cassandra Dula @ The Ohio State University

Mar 21, 2018 | Ohio State University

Despite the results of a referendum held in 2016, Bolivian President Evo Morales has decided to try and run for a fourth term in 2019. As of December 2017, the highest court in Bolivia has given him...

Displaced Puerto Rican Students in CT by Valeria Menendez @ Yale University.

Mar 21, 2018 | Yale University

According to the Connecticut State Department of Education, there were 1,745 displaced students from Puerto Rico in Connecticut schools as of mid-February. Even months after Hurricane Maria left...

Municipal Government in New Haven by Wabantu Hlophe @ Yale University

Mar 21, 2018 | Yale University

When trying to understand what drives democratic erosion, complacency by politicians at the grassroots is often ignored; a worrisome omission, to say the least. Here, we turn our attention to the...

The Dynamics of the New Haven Board of Alders, by Valentina Wakeman @ Yale University

Mar 21, 2018 | Yale University

On February 20th, I attended the New Haven Board of Alders meeting, which meets publicly every month. New Haven has a Board of 30 Alders, each one representing a specific section of the city....

Duterte’s Continuing Paranoia and the Erosion of Philippine Democracy by Patricia Villa @ University of the Philippines, Diliman

Mar 20, 2018 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

President Rodrigo Duterte’s paranoia may just be an ingredient to the brewing erosion of democracy in the Philippines and it is time that we check back on it. Since his ascension to the presidency,...

Iceland’s Minister of Justice Remains in Power, Sending Mixed Signals for the Health of the Democracy by Kasey Powers @ The Ohio State University

Mar 18, 2018 | Ohio State University

Earlier this month, Iceland’s Minister of Justice Sigríður Á. Andersen faced a vote of no confidence in response to her handling of appointments to a newly formed court that took effect in January....

‘Stabilitocracy’ over Democracy in Serbia by Rachel Pomerantz @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

In June of 2017, Ana Brnabic became the first female and first openly gay prime minister of Serbia. Coupled with the overtures by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel...

Criminal Justice Reform is Necessary for Equality by Oluwabomi Fagbemi @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

I attended #ReformPhilly: Bringing Injustice to Light, an event organized by Roc Nation in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania’s Political Science department and student activist groups...