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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Military-Made Sinkholes: The Constitutional Court and the Collapse of Thai Democracy

13 and 9. These numbers are of coups d’état that happened in Thailand since adopting the constitutional monarchy in 1932: 13 were successful, and 9 were unsuccessful. Democracy and the political landscape have been turbulent in Thailand, and they still are. However,...

The Permanent Campaign: Why Populist Leaders Can Never Stop Fighting the System

Imagine winning the most powerful office in the world and still governing like you're the underdog. That's the paradox at the center of modern populism and it isn't accidental. With Donald Trump's inauguration for his second term in January 2025, the fight did not...

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

The upcoming 2026 midterm elections are being framed as a referendum on the current executive agenda. But to view them merely though the lens of policy preference is to miss the deeper structural issues within the current state of American democracy. As the nation...

Democracy in Israel

Mar 9, 2026 | University of Houston

Israel has long been viewed as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” yet the system of democracy on which the country runs might not be as free and just as it may seem....

Divergent Interests Between Electors and Elected: A Precursor to Democratic Erosion in America

Mar 9, 2026 | University of Houston

Divergent Interests Between Electors and Elected: A Precursor to Democratic Erosion in America In the 2014 paper “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest...

The Unpaved Road Of Guatemala’s Democracy

Nov 5, 2024 | Ohio State University

The road to democracy for Guatemala was rocky and has remained just as unpaved since. Guatemala has a unique political history, with civil wars, hope for peace, and relentless relapses. Through this...

Georgia’s Stolen Election: A Setback for Democracy and European Integration

Nov 5, 2024 | Ohio State University

On October 26th, Georgia held elections that would determine the fate of democracy in their country. Unfortunately, democracy lost. The winning party ran its campaign partly on the platform of...

The Junta, Democratic Erosion, and Anti-LGBTQ Legislation in Mali

Nov 5, 2024 | Ohio State University

In November of 2024, following two years of uncontested rule, the provisional government in Mali moved to enshrine anti-LGBTQ legislation into the nation's penal code. It was the first time...

The Battle for Free and Fair Elections in Ghana: Electoral Irregularities and Growing Unrest

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

Ghana, often hailed as a model of democracy in West Africa, now faces a serious challenge to its electoral processes and democratic institutions. Ahead of the country’s December 7th presidential and...

Silenced Voices: Singapore’s Government Continues to Target Media

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

The utilization of POFMA, legislation that allows government officials to punish news media that do not abide by its rules and restrictions, adds to numerous other media restrictions set in place by...

Clear Democratic Erosion in South Korea: How the Presidency of Yoon Suk-yeol is Undermining Democracy

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

"송도동, Incheon, South Korea"/ CC0 1.0 Democratic erosion can be defined as the gradual weakening of democratic institutions in a particular country or region through the erosion of democratic norms...

A Saving Grace or Simply Smoke and Mirrors? How Rafael Correa’s 2008 Constitution Deceived the People of Ecuador

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

The people of Ecuador were facing chronic turnover in government leading to loss of morale, stability, and hope. That had experienced years of dissatisfaction in government. Ecuador needed a new...

Red Flag in Nepal: PM Oli Considers Law to Weaken Opposition

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

“Hitler, who dreamed of conquering the world, was alone when he died. Therefore, abandon the Hitler style.” These startling...

Erosion of Media Freedom is a Sign of Things to Come in Zambia

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

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 as media freedoms,...