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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Women in Political Dynasties: The Illusion of Choice and Democratic Erosion in the Philippines

Political dynasties have long controlled Philippine politics, with powerful families passing down leadership positions across generations. Despite the imposition of term limits discouraging dynastic rule, these families have found their way around the constitutional...

From Stardom to Senate: The Alarming Trend of Celebrity Politics in the Philippines

The intersection of celebrity and politics in the Philippines is nothing new. The phenomenon of celebrity politicians—actors, athletes, and other public figures who go from the big screen or stage to the corridors of power—has become a defining aspect of the country's...

Strong Parental Guidance?: How Film Censorship in the Philippines Affects Democracy

While cinema is often dismissed as mere entertainment, censoring it poses significant threats to information accessibility and, by extension, to democracy.

United States Democracy in Grave Danger

Jun 25, 2022 | University of Denver

It's been nearly three years since most Americans elected president Biden into office; however, his election left some Americans hopeless and unsure of American...

Strict Voter Photo Identification Laws: A New Threat to Democracy with Historical Roots

Jun 25, 2022 | University of Denver

Restrictive voter ID laws have become increasingly salient as more states pass or introduce legislation making identification a central part of voting (Hajnal et. al.,...

It’s not all Trump’s fault: democratic erosion’s recurring presence in the United States by Isabela Karibjanian @ Brown University

Oct 11, 2017 | Brown University

President Donald Trump’s presidency is not the start of democratic erosion in the United States – it’s the continuation of several long and often normalized trends. According to Juan J. Linz’s The...

Hurricane Maria Through the Populist Lens of Donald Trump by Chance Rogala @ Boston University

Oct 10, 2017 | Boston University

In the aftermath of the devastation brought on by Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump has made it clear that immediate, widespread aid efforts by the federal government were not his top...

On the Edge of Mass Surveillance: Navigating a “Live and Let Die” Democracy by Bradly Knox @ University of Memphis

Oct 10, 2017 | University of Memphis

“No system of mass surveillance has existed in any society that we know of to this point that has not been abused.” Edward Snowden Introduction The first step in combating a top-down...

Birth Control: The Latest Example of Trump’s Misuse of Democracy. by Laura Stavisky @ Boston University

Oct 10, 2017 | Boston University

Throughout the Trump presidency he has exploited democratic institutions to further his own political agenda at the expense of American democracy. Just last Friday, under the veil of the First...

The Turkish Referendum: What This Drastic Political Change Means for Democracy by Emily Masse at Boston University

Oct 10, 2017 | Boston University

How could a democratic institution, such as a referendum, potentially signal the downfall of democracy? Turkey may provide the answer. After a long history of military coups, Turkey adopted its...

No, Robert Reich, the Future Doesn’t Have to Be Populist. By Aidan Calvelli @ Brown University

Oct 9, 2017 | Brown University

The rise and election of Donald Trump left many Democrats reeling, searching for a way to understand the current political moment. To Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton...

Better Lines, Better Democracy. By Aidan Calvelli @ Brown University

Oct 9, 2017 | Brown University

It’s no bold claim to say that the United States is a democracy. Our Constitution, one of the earliest iterations of representative government and the model for hundreds more worldwide, formalized...

Does Spain’s Response to Catalonia Serve as Evidence of Democratic Breakdown?

Oct 8, 2017 | Boston University

On October 1, Spain responded to what they deemed an illegal referendum by employing police forces to stop individuals in the region of Catalonia from voting for or against independence from Spain....

The Rise of Stealth Authoritarianism in Cambodia By Michaela Kollin At Boston University

Oct 8, 2017 | Boston University

Stealth Authoritarianism in Cambodia Overt authoritarianism has become extremely costly, prompting trade sanctions and other international punishments, according to scholars such as Varol. In order...