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.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Polarization or Resilience? Interpreting Taiwan’s 2025 Recall Movement

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University, Featured

Taiwan’s 2025 “Great Recall” campaign marked an unprecedented moment in the island’s democratic history. On July 26, voters were asked whether to recall 24 of 113...

How Algorithms Are Reshaping Political Reality

Apr 17, 2026 | Boston University

Democracy is often judged by whether a country holds elections, maintains courts, and allows political competition and debate. Yet in many modern political systems, these...

Democracy is Eroding in El Salvador, but Who is Concerned?

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

The self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator”, Nayib Bukele, won presidential re-election in El Salvador in February of this year, extending his presidency to another five-year term. His landslide...

“Handmaid’s Tale is not a tutorial!”: Reproductive Rights as a Mechanism for Reversing Democratic Backsliding in Poland and the United States

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

Before October of 2023, Freedom House described Poland as having “the swiftest democratic decline in the [European] region.” The far-right, nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) had been in power...

How Nationalism Saves Democracy

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

It is in the comforting sound of your mother tongue, the aroma of a home-cooked traditional meal, shared celebrations, and the beauty of our architecture that we find an immediate sense of...

La Ultraderecha: Is Spain’s Vox an Example of Right-Wing Populism?

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

On December 17, 2013, Santiago Abascal established the Spanish political organization Vox, which the New York Times describes as “nationalism at its finest” (Source). The organization is notorious...

Unions and Their Importance in the 2024 U.S. Election

Oct 8, 2024 | Ohio State University

It was inspiring to see a group of people come together to learn more about unions and the important role they play in the United States. Ohio State College Democrats hosted a panel of union leaders...

How Did We Get Here? A Look at How Immigration Has Accelerated Populism in the Netherlands

Sep 17, 2024 | University of Denver

How did we get here? This is a question that many across Europe might be asking themselves when looking at the current health of their democracy. The Netherlands is no exception to this. Just a year...

How the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Contributed to Democratic Erosion

Sep 13, 2024 | Ohio State University

The 2020 U.S. presidential election was an important and influential election in the United States, and one that showed clear signs of democratic erosion in this country. While elections in the...

Is Donald Trump’s Populist Rhetoric a Threat to America’s Democracy?

Sep 13, 2024 | Ohio State University

On Friday, July 26th, at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit, Donald Trump made a very worrying statement for our democracy. During a speech, Donald Trump said, “Christians, get out and vote....

Populism Won’t Solve Rising Housing Prices, But People Are Choosing It Over Democracy—And Democracy Should Listen

Sep 13, 2024 | Ohio State University

Every person needs somewhere to live, but in the United States that is becoming increasingly more difficult to achieve. With rent prices increasing by more than 50% in the past five years,...