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.

Democratic erosion in Ecuador

Second Blog post On March 6, 2026, Ecuador’s electoral courts ordered the suspension of the country's largest left leaning opposition party, Revolucion Ciudadana (Citizen’s revolution). The party, recognized as the primary opposition of Noboa's right-leaning National...

Pernicious Polarization and the Failure of Resistance in El Salvador

The current state of democracy in El Salvador emphasizes how pernicious polarization destroys the possibility of effective resistance to democratic backsliding, as theorized by McCoy, Rahman, and Somer in "Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy." Bukele's...

How Democracy Erodes: A Comparison between the U.S. and Brazil

Both the United States under President Trump and Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro experienced a period of anti-democratic rhetoric. That led to the decline of significant indicators of stable democratic regimes. Among these indicators are election intimidation, attacks on...

Myanmar’s Democracy Crisis

Mar 8, 2026 | University of Houston

On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s (Burma) military, known as the Tatmadaw, seized control of the country and overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu...

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

Mar 4, 2026 | Arizona State University

An updated version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act was passed by the House of Representatives on February 11th of this year. Meant to “[ensure] the...

The Threat of Extreme Partisanship in the Post-Trump Era: Warnings from the Ouster of Kevin McCarthy

Oct 18, 2023 | Boston University

On October 3rd, 2023, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House of Representatives in a 216-210 vote, becoming the first person in American history to ever be removed from the position. ...

India’s Free Speech Censorship is Ruining Democracy

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

India’s democratic backsliding has been a topic of concern for many decades. However, in recent years, the censorship of free speech in particular has led to detrimental social consequences,...

American Democracy and The Supreme Court

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

With recent discussion in the news surrounding the potential adoption of an “ethics code” or other code of conduct for the US Supreme Court, the question of its role in US democracy is once again a...

Guatemalan mass protests question if populism is all bad

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

On October 2nd, mass citizen protests erupted in Guatemala related to Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras’s efforts to undermine the results of the country’s recent presidential election in favor...

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Rise of Right-Wing Populism: Democratic Erosion in Spain, Italy, and Sweden

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected many things, one of which is the powers that hold congressional power in many countries. Many countries with democracies or core democratic elements, such...

Democratic Erosion Causes In Israel

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

An analysis of democratic backsliding in Israel that have led to today This post analyzes the structures from both a societal standpoint and a structural standpoint in Israel over the last few...

The Price of Populists in Power: a Look Back at Benjamin Netanyahu’s Populist Attitudes in Light of Israel’s Recent Tragedy

Oct 17, 2023 | Boston University

Benjamin Netanyahu has single-handedly been eroding his country’s democracy since he came into power. He is the country’s longest-serving prime minister, representing a parable of modern politics: a...

The Underlying Importance to McCarthy’s Removal as Speaker

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

On October 3rd, 2023, an unprecedented political event occurred when the house voted 216-210 to remove California Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. With the House entering its...

What the Removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy means for American Democracy

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

Despite once being hailed as a pillar of democracy and freedom, democracy in the United States has been under threat for a while. Political circumstances threaten American democracy because of three...