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.

Foreign Interference: Is Iran Running the 2024 Election, What does this mean for America’s Democracy?

Ohio State University

As America reaches election day in November, the 2024 presidential race has been found to be a topic of the utmost importance to not only Americans but foreign actors. As...

Does the State of US Media Mean We Are in Democratic Free-fall? No, Not Really.

Ohio State University

The environment around US media has shifted dramatically over the last decade. Independence in US journalism has been a source of pride and confidence to the US people, but...

Democratic Erosion in Mexico: AMLO Weakens the Rule of Law

Boston University

An effective rule of law is essential for a stable democracy. The Rule of Law is summarized as a “durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment”. Laws should be publicly...

Censorship in Nicaragua – A Massacre of Media

Boston University

Nicaragua’s government is a regime of accelerating oppression, injustice, and terror. Through Daniel Ortega’s 15 year regime, elections have become increasingly unfair, civil unrest has grown, and...

“Amore es pagado con amore” – President Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Boston University

(“Love is paid back with love” - President Andrés Manuel López Obrador) Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador greets supporters during a march to support his administration in Mexico City,...

Why the Yellow Vests Movement in France?

Boston University

Yellow Vests Protests, one of the social movements in France, also known as the “Yellow Vests Protests”, or the “Yellow Jackets Protests” aka Yellow Vests Movement. Particularly, what were the...

Economic Elite Cooptation in Authoritarianization: The Case of Nazi Germany

Boston University

The economic elite in a society wield a disproportionate amount of power when it comes to determining the health of the regime. One such case that is most well-known in this day and age is the Koch...

Giorgia Meloni and the Brothers of Italy

Boston University

Pictured: Giorgia Meloni History is Made On September 20th, 2022, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy (FDI) party, was appointed Italian Prime minister via a snap election. This...

Has the Italian Parliamentary Election Signaled Democratic Backsliding?

Boston University

In late September of 2022, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party won a plurality of the votes in the parliamentary elections to secure control of the government in Italy. Meloni has been...

South Africa: Lack of Political Participation Enables Democratic Backsliding

Boston University

South Africa is a well-known country around the world that is often studied by political scientists because of its complicated history under apartheid and segregation and its quick democratic...

Myanmar: Exhibit A of the Danger of Military Rule

Boston University

While the international community holds various broad examples of the inherent flaws in military institutions in government, Myanmar’s short history of democracy blows any other example far out of...

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