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.

The Price of Press: Exposing the Fragility of Philippine Media In the 2025 Senatorial Elections

Lights, Camera, Action—A line that we usually hear in show business and filmmaking. In this industry, actors desperately compete to get their much-desired “screen time,” show their potential, and eventually get to the top. However, in the Philippines, this is not just...

There’s no Greater Riches than (Extended Political) Families: Filipinos’ Pakikisama and the Perpetuation of Political Dynasties in the Philippines

Filipinos place utmost importance on their families, the foundation of our nation. Hence, despite not having a working party system, the Philippines have perdurable political dynasties, turning Philippine politics into a sempiternal family affair.

The Guest List of Autocracy: Why Authoritarian Leaders Line Up for a Piece of Russia’s History

In recent years, each 9th of May, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport welcomes very specific types of guests. Not tourists—but presidents, prime ministers and other notable guests from across the post-Soviet space and beyond. They plan to wholeheartedly join the...

Erosion of Taboos: The Dangers of the AfD Party

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Less than two weeks away from the crucial elections in Germany, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has endorsed Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate of the far-right...

Trump’s January 6 Pardons

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Donald Trump's pardoning of roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged from the January 6th insurrection is a dangerous step in undermining American democracy and freedom. It...

How the Belt and Road Initiative is Spreading Authoritarianism

Oct 30, 2023 | Salem State University

By Luciano Hoxhaj In 2013, President Xi Jinping of China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project that has seen the development of Chinese physical and technological infrastructure...

Dying Democracy in Israel

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

***Note from the author: My post is meant to analyze constructively the state of democratic institutions in Israel and remark on how the current conflict affects this. It is not meant to give...

Speaker of the House and Cause for Concern

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

Mike Johnson was recently elected as the new speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Johnson is a supporter of former President Trump and had recently filed a lawsuit to overturn the...

Is Bangladesh an Exceptional Case of Democratic Backsliding?

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

The current regime of Bangladesh ruled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been categorized as an authoritarian regime by the V-Dem Institute, a democracy research organization. According to the...

Malaysia’s Institutional, Socio-cultural, and Foreign Challenges to Democracy

Oct 29, 2023 | Arizona State University

The case of Malaysian politics is a fascinating subject. In 2023, V-Dem considered Malaysia an electoral autocracy, although the report also stated it appears to be currently facing an upward...

Georgia’s Gerrymandering, Legal Institutions, and Democratic Backsliding

Oct 29, 2023 | Arizona State University

A federal judge ruled that Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts must be redrawn prior to the 2024 election. The report concluded that the Republican-drawn political maps, which...

Don’t Cry Wolf About Threats To Democracy

Oct 29, 2023 | Arizona State University

In the past few years, we’ve witnessed many serious threats to American democracy. Some that loom large include: the January 6 Capitol riot, President Trump’s “perfect phone call” to Georgia...

The Alienations of Muslims in the World’s Largest Democracy

Oct 23, 2023 | Boston University

India is the world's largest democracy; in fact, it recently gained the title of being the world's largest country by population, and fortunately such a nation happens to host a democratic system of...

Gender inequality decline the Democracy in India

Oct 23, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Democracy is not merely a form of government but also a way of life, an order of society, a way of social and economic relations, and above all, a belief system (Saikia & Baruah, 2012). Thus,...