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.

Fujimori or Sánchez – How Peru Loses Either Way

In the April 2026 presidential elections in Peru there was a total of 35 candidates. As we approach the runoff vote on the top two candidates, Peruvians are going to be choosing between Keiko Fujimori and her opponent Roberto Sánchez. Both politicians are...

When Will It End? Stealth Authoritarianism over Female Reproductive Rights

Comparing the modern day struggles of democracy against reproductive rights to stealth authoritarianism.

Democracy Dying by Law : A Case study of Poland’s Under PiS Era

Still water runs deep. Have you ever heard of this phrase? It means that the surface may look calm, but there is some powerful force moving underneath. What if this was happening in real life? That force has a name: stealth authoritarianism. That force wears a mask...

Democratic Erosion and the Far-Right in Post-Estallido Chile

May 1, 2026 | Tulane University

A fundamental question haunts any serious analysis of Chile's recent political trajectory: did the democratic erosion now visibly accelerating under the far-right begin with...

When Saving Democracy Looks Like Killing It: Romania’s Election Crisis and the Paradox of Militant Democracy

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

In December 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court did something almost without precedent in modern European history: it annulled the first round of a presidential election 48...

The Election That May Save Hungary’s Democracy

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

"Today we won because the Hungarian people didn't ask what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country," -Péter Magyar Hungary just held its most consequential election...

Misinformation: The Role it Plays in the Persistence of the 2020 Election

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

Democratic stability not only relies on fair elections, but on the shared belief of their legitimacy. The controversy surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election demonstrates just how...

What Peter Magyar’s Win Means for Democracy in Hungary

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

“We have liberated Hungary and have taken back our country,” said Peter Magyar, announcing his landmark victory against strongman Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán’s striking defeat marks a new era...

Democratic Erosion in Bolivia: A Case of Gradual Internal Decline

Apr 21, 2026 | George Mason University

Changes in Bolivia's Democracy V-Dem. (2025). Political regime (Bolivia). Our World in Data. This chart shows the changes in Bolivia’s political regime throughout history. The data indicate that...

Democratic Backsliding: Be Observant

Apr 20, 2026 | Suffolk University

Setting the Stage for Autocracy Democratic backsliding is nothing if not the gradual death of democracy. Democracy is eroded through incremental steps taken by the dominant political party to...

Propaganda, The Iran War, and Democratic Erosion

Apr 20, 2026 | Suffolk University

The U.S. response to the Iran conflict demonstrates how propaganda and narrative manipulation transform foreign policy into a domestic political tool, contributing to democratic erosion by...

Israel’s Nation-State Law and the Fight Over Belonging

Apr 20, 2026 | Suffolk University

Israel’s Nation-State Law and the Fight Over Belonging Every democracy is based on a single premise: equality. That is why Israel’s 2018 Nation-State Law matters. In July 2018, the Israeli Knesset...

Can a Democracy Die With 90% Approval?

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

Every morning, we stop by a cafe and grab an iced Americano. We pay in a hurry, walk away in a hurry, and rarely stop to think about where that coffee came from or how it was made. That’s because...

Is Mexico’s Democracy Slipping?

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University, Universities

Is Mexico’s Democracy Slipping? Yehyun Kim Why choose this case for study: Mexico is a fascinating and critical case for this study democratic backsliding....