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.

De-Orbánization Looks a Lot Like Orbánization. Three Tests Will Tell Them Apart.

Péter Magyar's Tisza government says it is dismantling the system Viktor Orbán built over sixteen years. Several of its tools are the ones this course treats as warning signs of democratic erosion: constitutional amendments that removed Orbán-era officeholders,...

The Trump Administration’s use DHS funds for advertisements: breaking, or bending the rules?

In recent news, the Trump administration has been accused of using Department of Homeland Security funds to pay for President Trump's midterm election advertisements. According to federal budget and contracting records, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led...

When Legal Institutions Weaken Political Competition in Turkey

Democratic erosion does not always happen in the form of a military invasion or by suddenly ending elections. It can happen slowly, with elections, courts and other democratic institutions still in place. What happened recently with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and...

Hanging By A Thread: Democracy in Peru

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

On December 7th, the Peruvian Congress removed sitting President Pedro Castillo from office after he announced plans to shut down congress. This presidential announcement...

Felon Disenfranchisement and Subversion of the Black Electorate

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

Beginning after Reconstruction—when Black men were granted the right to vote—the implementation of voter disenfranchisement laws crept across the United States in the form...

Is Germany’s Latest Shift a Sign of Things Gone Too Far Wrong? by Naba Khan @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While Angela Merkel remains in power for the fourth election in a row, there has been a shift in Germany’s government. For the first time, the country’s far-right party has won seats in parliament....

Fake News, Real Consequences: The Shaping of a Propaganda Machine by Victoria Saeed @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Between dodging criticisms from San Juan's Carmen Yulín Cruz, exchanging verbal blows with Kim Jong-un, and maintaining a healthy golfing schedule; Donald Trump has managed to escalate his ongoing...

Donald Trump and Populist Rhetoric in 140 Characters or Less by Anna Spier @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

President Donald Trump is no stranger to twitter. His tweets are frequent and he makes no obvious effort to hide his true opinions on a vast array of subjects, from foreign affairs, to the media, to...

Trump’s Polarizing Presidentialism, Poeticized by Eminem by Kate Jamison @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

The Trump Administration has done an excellent job of staying present in the media, between the president’s tweets threatening to start a nuclear war with North Korea to the viral video of him...

Mass Surveillance + Populism = A Threat to Public Safety and Democracy by Lukas McMahon @Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A free, liberal democracy should not spy on its citizens. But the United States does, and it may continue to indefinitely, which puts its citizens at risk of persecution — especially with the rise...

Undermining the Miners: Political Strategies of Partisan Governments by Kaylie Piecuch @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

A democratic government is a type of a government representative of all constituents. Many Americans have held on to the belief that we are the winning Miss Democracy in a pageant for equality and...

Nevada and the right to legally bear weapons of a mass shooting: a freedom or a sign of democratic backsliding? by Dorothy Spector @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

In wake of the recent mass shooting in Nevada, one of the deadliest shootings in American history, the debate on why legislation's have not been put in place to prevent such events reappears....

Spain, Stop Hiding Behind Smokescreens by Maxine Moore @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

While talk of a referendum regarding Catalonia becoming independent from Spain has been occurring for months, on October 1st, Catalonia finally voted. Madrid did everything in its power in hopes of...

Corruption, Frustration, and the Risk of Democratic Breakdown in Brazil by Julia Banas @ Boston University

Oct 12, 2017 | Boston University

Brazil’s “The South is My Country” secessionist movement is only the most recent addition to what could be democratic breakdown. Brazil’s risk for democratic breakdown has only increased with the...