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 vs. Media: The Never Ending Crusade

In advanced liberal democracies such as the United States, democratic erosion does not come in one fell swoop. Often, norms, checks and balances, and foundational features of democracy are gradually chipped away at as to lessen resistance, comparable to a frog being...

Donald Trump’s Trade Wars and Their Implications on US Vertical Accountability

Just recently Donald Trump visited Dayton, Ohio, a region which is defined by the prevalence of their manufacturing sector, and which has seen negative impacts from ever increasing US reliance on manufactured imports. As a result of the blowbacks from increased...

From Reformer to Authoritarian

How is Zambia’s Current President Showing Signs of Democratic Backsliding In Zambia, Election Day occurs on the 2nd Thursday of August every 5 years to elect the President and Vice President. To be elected president in Zambia, a candidate must receive more than 50% of...

Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box: Hungary’s Democratic Erosion

Oct 19, 2026 | George Mason University

If elections still exist, what exactly is eroding? Hungary continued to hold elections throughout Viktor Orbán’s sixteen years in power. Opposition parties still existed,...

How Serbia’s Unequal Media Environment Shapes Democratic Competition

Oct 19, 2026 | George Mason University

On September 15, Serbia’s election commission approved Student List Students Win for the October 25 parliamentary election. The list grew out of the student movement that...

Digital Authoritarianism and Democratic Backsliding in Serbia

Oct 17, 2026 | George Mason University

Introduction What if a country could still hold elections and call itself a democracy while its political system was becoming increasingly unequal? Serbia still holds elections, but that does not...

Censorship With a Legal Stamp: How the Philippines Silences Its Press

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

On January 22, there was a conviction that had prominent organizations and experts – including UN experts, the International Federation of Journalists, and more – decry and call for immediate...

Moldova’s 2025 Parliamentary Election: Democratic Erosion or Resilience?

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

Moldova is an interesting case of a country stuck between two major orientations. It has been tied with Moscow for centuries, getting colonized by the Russian Empire, and being a part of the Soviet...

Hungary Still Holds Elections. So Why Is Its Democracy Getting Weaker?

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

When we think about democracy, we usually think about elections. People vote, a party wins, and the government is supposed to represent the people. But what if a country keeps holding elections...

Beyond the Ballot, the Year of the Paradox: South Africa After 2024

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

On May 29 2024, South Africa held it’s seventh democratic general elections. The results shook the country’s political landscape. The African National Congress (ANC), which had dominated and...

The Slow Death of Democracy: How Tunisia Fell Back into One-Man Rule

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

When people think about how democracy dies, they often imagine violent military coups. However, in the modern world, democracy usually dies slowly, legally, and from within. Tunisia was once...

The Court Takeover and Democracy: How Poland Lost Its Way

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

It is easy to think that a democracy ends when there is a military coup, a war, or another sudden event. But democracy can also become weaker slowly from inside the government. Poland is one...

Fixing The System to Save It: How Mongolia’s Electoral Reforms Shield Democracy in a Tough Neighborhood

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

Can a nation surrounded entirely by autocratic giants keep its democracy alive when internal corruption threatens to pull it apart? Sitting directly between Russia and China, Mongolia stands as one...

Israel Cannot Renew Its Democracy While Ignoring Palestinian Freedom

Oct 16, 2026 | George Mason University

A Democracy with a Boundary What does an election mean to someone who cannot vote for the government shaping their life? Israeli citizens can vote for national leaders. Palestinians in the occupied...