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.

The SAVE Act, Voter Suppression, and Erosion in the US

Conservatives are championing the SAVE Act as a way to combat voter fraud, but what about when it enforces voter suppression?

Hungary: A Case Study of Democratic Backsliding in the European Union

Hungary’s gradual democratic backsliding under Viktor Orbán demonstrates how legal reforms, centralized executive power, and weakened institutional checks can erode democracy from within, turning a once-promising post-communist transition into a partially free, delegative system

How Pakistans Government has Backslided Further since Imran Khan’s arrest

Democratic erosion is a gradual process that has been an ongoing process in Pakistan. While the country still holds elections and operates under the 1973 constitution, the quality of the democracy has weakened especially since Imran Khan, the former prime minister,...

Democracy for Sale: How a Chinese National Briefly Became a Mayor in the Philippines

Apr 30, 2025 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

As Asia’s oldest democracy, the Philippines has had its share of national controversies over the years. In recent memory, very few of these incidents stand out as...

The fire from within: American Democracy is dying?

Apr 29, 2025 | University of Memphis, University of Virginia

” There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide” - James Adams. If the average empire fails at 250 years and America is 248 years old, could we say...

This Musk Be a Joke

Dec 4, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

“Elon Musk he’s such a f***ing moron” (Conover, 2022) said Adam Conover in relation to Elon Musk on the Trillionaire Pod, a podcast. Elon Musk who recently bought Twitter in an effort to “clean...

How Conspiracy Theories Helped Putin Secure Power

Dec 4, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Since Vladimir Putin has had his hand in Russian politics, he has peddled in conspiratorial thinking to help himself gain support and power within his country and the world. Russia has regained its...

Dec 2, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Right beneath the noses of citizens of every country in the world, lies a massive, interconnected network where humans are bought and sold, just like any other illicit commodity. The International...

Egypt Still Has a Pharaoh: The Al-Sisi Regime

Nov 30, 2022 | Suffolk University

Gone are the days of the ancient Egyptian Kingdom where the great pyramids were built and one of the earliest forms of written communication were developed, but one thing has lingered: the...

“Make Spain Great Again”… Sounds Familiar?

Nov 30, 2022 | Suffolk University

Vox leader Santiago Abascal during campaign rally in Seville 2019 | Cristina Quicler/AFP via Getty Images Vox has risen towards becoming Spain’s third strongest political party over the past years....

How Twitter’s Free Speech Policy for Populists Hurts American Democracy

Nov 29, 2022 | Boston University

On Thursday, October 27, 2022, Elon Musk officially closed his $44 billion deal to purchase the social media site Twitter. In the following weeks, he fired several of Twitter’s top financial and...

Vox, Populism, and Polarization: A Potential Threat to Spanish Democracy

Nov 28, 2022 | Boston University

The rise of populist far-right parties in Europe threatens the continent’s democracies. These parties are dangerous not only because they threaten the political status quo but also because they...

Democratic Erosion in Mexico: AMLO Weakens the Rule of Law

Nov 28, 2022 | 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

Nov 28, 2022 | 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...