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.

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

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 release. The Regional Trial Court of Tacloban City sentenced Filipino...
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Moldova’s 2025 Parliamentary Election: Democratic Erosion or Resilience?

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 Union up to 1991. Even after its independence, Moldova continued to be...
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Hungary Still Holds Elections. So Why Is Its Democracy Getting Weaker?

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 while the rules become less fair? Hungary made me think about this...
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Paid for by Democracy

Oct 2, 2026 |

Ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections, President Trump aired three commercials trumpeting American exceptionalism, but they drew bipartisan criticism. Concerns about misuse of taxpayer dollars...

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