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.
Could the 2017 burning of Congress in Paraguay have led to the end years of Colorado Party dominance?
In 2017, protests erupted in Paraguay after President Horacio Cartes attempted to amend the constitution to allow for his re-election. Cartes’ influence over the Colorado Party— which has dominated Paraguayan politics for decades—has faced significant opposition due to corruption, bribery, and drug trafficking scandals, leading to public disillusionment with his party. The Colorado Party held onto power in 2023, but the lasting effects of Cartes’ actions may have provided enough fuel to the political fire to spark change in Paraguay.
The Unpaved Road Of Guatemala’s Democracy
Georgia’s Stolen Election: A Setback for Democracy and European Integration
Erosion of Media Freedom is a Sign of Things to Come in Zambia
Over the past decades, Zambia has been met with democratic erosion that has spread around the globe. Many aspects of a once functioning democracy are being pulled back such...
Democracy Hijacked: Sudan’s Descent from Prospective Democracy into Authoritarian Rule
Sudan was a country with a prosperous democratic future in 2019, yet today the nation remains worse off than it initially began. With significant military violence and a...
Are We Losing our Sense of National Pride? Vivek Ramaswamy Seems to Think So
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former candidate for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination, strongly believes in putting America first in almost every scenario. I recently had the opportunity to...
Local Governments Still Embody What it Truly Means to be Democratic
As Americans who value democracy, we frequently want to be able to directly sit down with our representatives and voice our opinions and be able to have civil discussion on the actions we should...
Redrawing Our Future: Issue One and the End of Gerrymandering in Ohio
Issue One will be on the ballot this November for Ohioans. I spoke to Catey Wolfe, the Campaign Manager for Representative Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, about the importance of ending partisan...
Columbus City Council: How Local Government Hits Home
Turns out it's not impossible for politicians to agree on some things. Or at least that's what the Columbus City Council would have you believe. Maybe it's just a local politics thing. City Hall...
Disinformation and Calling 911: A Fiery City Council Meeting
“North Canton is a very peaceful part of Ohio. The community is small enough to get together and create amazing things. I feel very safe in North Canton and recommend new families to move into the...
Truth Social was a failed populist experiment. A second Trump victory could change that.
If former President Donald Trump is a populist, he certainly isn’t a traditional one. An analysis of the former President’s speeches by UCLA researchers found that he selectively and...
A Turning Point for Immigration Reform in the 2024 Presidential Election
The failure to address immigration in formal debate is something that has happened for at least a decade now! The failure to EVEN have discourse about immigration is hypocritical; I would go as far...
The 2024 Illuminati Election
“I’ll talk to you the minute you stop killing children,” he proclaims as he closes the door in our faces. My roommate, a public policy major, has been interning as a campaign assistant for...
Ecuador on the Edge
Once considered among the most stable countries in Latin America, Ecuador has been rocked by a surge of gang-related violence in the last few years. The homicide rate has more than quadrupled,...