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.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging readers to “Get ready to protest like democracy depends on it.” The article was in...

How Populism Threatens Georgia’s Alignment With the West

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves across the West. Long-time geopolitical neutrals Finland and Sweden joined NATO, and many Western countries levied...

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...

The Rise of a Dictator and Fall of a People– The Rise of Corruption and Collapse of Civil Society in Serbia

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Since the rise to power of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and their leader Aleksandar Vučić, democracy and any dream of Western values and lifestyle has eroded away from Serbia. With a clear...

The Left’s Case Against the Disinformation Board

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was the first made the public aware the new disinformation board during a house subcommittee hearing in April. The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated...

Lying Candidates, and the Illusion of Choice

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

On May 5th President Joe Biden met with Chris Smalls, the president of the Amazon Labor Union, who has recently won a historic unionization vote against Amazon which has gone through...

Guns and Money: How Many More Innocent School Children?

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Source: https://assets.teenvogue.com/photos/5a8daf4d1710f94783e99e3d/master/pass/_Tout.jpg Why are students taught to defend themselves? Why must they know to barricade doors? Why are they expected...

Democratic Backsliding in the United States – It’s Real.

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

I vividly remember my experience six years ago, huddled over the dusty desk in the nook of my room, unable to concentrate on my geometry homework. Why? I was watching coverage of the 2016 election...

Roe v. Wade and The Supreme Court’s Role in Democracy

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

In a leaked majority opinion briefing, written by Justice Samuel Alito, it has come to light that the Supreme Court will vote to overturn the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade. In the document, it...

What Russia’s Fake News Campaign Teaches Us About Democracy

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Protests at Russian embassy in Bangkok, Thailand Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images The role of fake news is one which has evolved over the past years and in the case of Russia and the war on Ukraine, fake...

Roe v. Wade Reveals Underlying Inequalities

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Source: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/14514/production/_124402238_roe2.jpg Dahl: “In a political system where nearly every adult may vote but where knowledge, wealth, social position,...

The Uvalde Shooting: Why We Need To Control Special Interest Groups

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

On May 4, 2022 at 11:33am, a gunman armed with a rifle from Daniel Defense (similar to Armalite’s AR-15), and a tactical vest without armor plates entered Robb elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. He...