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.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

The supreme immunity: Could it be a stealth authoritarianism?

Oct 15, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

An example from Indonesia’s new Article of libel and defamation In the essence of practicing democracy, a fundamental understanding is that it provides a safe space for both...

China in Cambodia: Threat to Regional Stability

Oct 15, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

The shrinking of Cambodia’s civic and political space mirrors the elections and authoritarian consolidation of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Since 2021, Cambodia’s...

Possibility of Democratic Backsliding in Slovakia by Mouthcheata Se @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 12, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

On March 2nd, 2018, approximately 20,000 Slovak protestors gathered in the Bratislava's Freedom Square to mourn and demand justice for a journalist named Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina...

Millennials, Politics, and Polarization: How the Nature of Modern Youth Political Participation May Contribute to Democratic Erosion by Shravan Balaji @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

During the last weekend of February, I took it upon myself to return to my home state of New Jersey to attend an general meeting of our county’s “Young Democrats” meeting. A friend of mine with whom...

Democracy on Display at the 2018 Women’s March on Philadelphia by Rachel Pomerantz @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

As the follow-up to what was likely the largest single-day demonstration in American history, the first anniversary of the Women’s March had high expectations. Occurring last year on the first full...

Potential Insidious Polarization, as Evidenced by Candidate Gonzalez’s Campaign Event by Matthew Graff @ The University of Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

Texas House of Representatives candidate Jessica Gonzalez, running for District 104, seemed to be an excellent political candidate. I had the opportunity to attend one of her campaign events, and...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

The supreme immunity: Could it be a stealth authoritarianism?

China in Cambodia: Threat to Regional Stability

Possibility of Democratic Backsliding in Slovakia by Mouthcheata Se @ University of California, Los Angeles

Millennials, Politics, and Polarization: How the Nature of Modern Youth Political Participation May Contribute to Democratic Erosion by Shravan Balaji @ University of Pennsylvania

Democracy on Display at the 2018 Women’s March on Philadelphia by Rachel Pomerantz @ University of Pennsylvania

Potential Insidious Polarization, as Evidenced by Candidate Gonzalez’s Campaign Event by Matthew Graff @ The University of Pennsylvania

Hungary’s “Dictator” Viktor Orban by Margaret Borse @ University of California, Los Angeles

Who is Fighting Democratic Erosion at the Local Level? By Jackson Schumacher @ The Ohio State University

On Campus Abortion Protests: A Study in Polarization by William Weber @ The Ohio State University

The Unsung Victories for Planned Parenthood and Democracy By: Bailey Markowski @ The Ohio State University

It’s not all about the money…right, guys? by Marissa Kelly

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