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...

Wrestling with the Populist Rhetoric-Policy Tension: Insights from the 2023 Republican Primaries’ Discourse on the UAW Strike

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

The recent national-level strike launched by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union at several major auto manufacturers in the United States against General Motors (GM), Ford...

The expansive measures of being democratic: A lesson learned from Palestine

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

A ceaseless conflict between the State of Palestine and Israel appears to have no end in sight. Despite international efforts on humanitarian issues, especially for...

The Spanish Dilemma by Jashan Kashyap @University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

For many people in the Catalan region, the central government of Spain is viewed as a foreign institution. In many ways, the Catalans’ views are correct. Catalonia is known to be a cultural and...

How President Maduro is Changing Venezuela’s Once Thriving Democracy into an Autocracy: The Death of Democracy in Venezuela by Osny Calderon @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Following the death of extremely popular president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez in 2013, his vice president and handpicked successor Nicolás Maduro was appointed and later narrowly elected President...

The Unraveling of the Polish Courts, Another Potential Step Towards Democratic Backsliding by Benjamin Lee @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

On January 15, 2018, Dariusz Zawistowski, the president of Poland's National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), the body in charge of maintaining the impartiality of Polish courts, resigned from his...

Italy and Their Ongoing Struggle by Armida Reyes @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

There are many different events happening all around the world at the moment that affect people on the daily whether through politics or economics. Italy is currently going through some political...

The Migrant Crisis in Venezuela and How It Relates to Democratic Erosion by Karla Aparicio @ University of California Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

It is no secret that Venezuela’s economic and political worlds have been at a breaking point for some time. Economic downfalls and crises lead to uncertainty within its citizens in the 1980’s....

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Wrestling with the Populist Rhetoric-Policy Tension: Insights from the 2023 Republican Primaries’ Discourse on the UAW Strike

The expansive measures of being democratic: A lesson learned from Palestine

The Spanish Dilemma by Jashan Kashyap @University of California, Los Angeles

How President Maduro is Changing Venezuela’s Once Thriving Democracy into an Autocracy: The Death of Democracy in Venezuela by Osny Calderon @ University of California, Los Angeles

The Unraveling of the Polish Courts, Another Potential Step Towards Democratic Backsliding by Benjamin Lee @ University of California, Los Angeles

Italy and Their Ongoing Struggle by Armida Reyes @ University of California, Los Angeles

The Migrant Crisis in Venezuela and How It Relates to Democratic Erosion by Karla Aparicio @ University of California Los Angeles

Democratic backsliding within Turkey

Egypt’s Presidential Election: Will Democracy Survive? Will a Frankenstate Rise? by Sabrina Amaya @ UCLA

Il Canto del Populista by Justin Ambrosio @ University of California, Los Angeles

Xi Jipig: President of China for Life

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