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.

Fighting Fake News: Lessons from the World’s Top Target

2018 was a year of awakening in Taiwan. Two high-profile events threw the consequences of fake news into relief. First, Su Chii-cherng, the envoy to Osaka for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, took his own life in September 2018 after false reports about him...

Can Democracies Wait Another 2,500 Years to Meet Today’s Needs?

In 500 BC, during Athens' golden age of democracy, the voting age was set at 18. Over 2,500 years later, this threshold remains the same in the vast majority (90%) of countries. However, as democracies grapple with rising populism, authoritarianism, marginalization of...

Présidence Impériale: Executive Aggrandizement in Macron’s France

Amidst significant challenges to France’s democracy, President Emmanuel Macron has ignored democratic norms and abused constitutional articles to expand his own power—periling France’s democracy.

Trump v. United States: What Could This Mean for Democracy in the United States?

Ohio State University

“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.” It is July 1, 2024, and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on the case Trump v. United States. Liberals, like Justice...

It’s Not Just Federal! State Democracies Erode Too.

Ohio State University

America’s states are sometimes referred to as “laboratories of democracy” since their policies can shape policies on the national level. However, in an America where...

South Korea’s President Moves Forward with Plan to Fulfill Anti-Feminist Campaign Promises

Suffolk University

The Blue House, Home of South Korea's Executive Office - Source: Unsplash The success of Yoon’s appeals to anti-feminism reflects the rise of reactionary gender politics within South Korean...

A New Far-Right in Israel: The Descent into Authoritarianism in Jerusalem

Skidmore College

On November 1st, Israel held parliamentary elections for the fifth time in 3 years. Results are pointing towards another victory of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party. His coalition government during...

6 Arrows: Does Modern Turkey Still Follow the Ideology of Ataturk?

Suffolk University

Kemalism, also Ataturkism, is the ideology of Turkish nationalism put forward by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. It is still considered to be the official ideology of the Republic of Turkey. At the Congress...

Democratic Erosion: Threats in the Philippine Democracy

University of the Philippines, Diliman

Democratic Erosion (also known as Democratic Backsliding) is an unsettlingly prevalent phenomenon in which competitive elections are undermined, individuals lose the right to mobilize or voice...

Economic Instability in Turkey: An Attempt to Find a New Economic Model or Political Adventure

Suffolk University

This story is about an autocrat who has been in big politics for 20 years. Under his rule, the exchange rate of the national currency has collapsed several times, prices have risen incredibly in the...

Ukraine and Russia: Soviet Tensions Lead to Modern Mass Murder

Suffolk University

Russia has been threatening the democratic sovereignty of Ukraine since the country declared independence from the USSR shortly before its official dissolution in the early 1990’s. Under the rule of...

Castillo’s Failed Self-Coup

Sabanci University

Recently, on the 7th of December, Pedro Castillo former president of Peru attempted to give a self-coup d'état. The Peruvian congress held a vote in which it was decided whether the congress would...

The 2022 US Midterm: A Denouement of Populism

Skidmore College

The November midterm elections have come and gone, and the American people have spoken: they reject populism. If the rise of election deniers is indicative of populism, then the underwhelming...

The Roles of Identity and Affective Polarization in Democratic Erosion

University of Denver

Introduction What is the most salient causal explanation for democratic erosion in the U.S.? Is it economic inequality and neoliberal policy? What about the decay of political parties, norms, and...

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