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.

Fear Wins Votes: Trump’s Violations and Consistent Support

This blog evaluates how Donald Trump’s political success stems from his use of fear-based rhetoric and polarization, which reshape voter priorities, weaken democratic accountability, and allow violations of democratic norms to occur without consequence.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary: A Prime Example of Authoritarian Populism

With elections in Hungary coming up this April, the country’s incumbent prime minister, Viktor Orban, is ramping up efforts to stay in power, resorting to authoritarian tactics to sway the vote in his favor once again. Orban and his Fidesz Party are facing a real...

Donald Trump Continues to Exemplify Every Autocratic Warning Sign in the Book

The recent launching of an air strike campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran has the international and domestic community alike holding their breath, and it only confirms long-held concerns about President Trump’s style of governing; he...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

May 7, 2025 | Tulane University

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

May 7, 2025 | Featured, University of the Philippines, Diliman

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have...

Why the Yellow Vests Movement in France?

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

Yellow Vests Protests, one of the social movements in France, also known as the “Yellow Vests Protests”, or the “Yellow Jackets Protests” aka Yellow Vests Movement. Particularly, what were the...

Economic Elite Cooptation in Authoritarianization: The Case of Nazi Germany

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

The economic elite in a society wield a disproportionate amount of power when it comes to determining the health of the regime. One such case that is most well-known in this day and age is the Koch...

Giorgia Meloni and the Brothers of Italy

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

History is Made On September 20th, 2022, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy (FDI) party, was appointed Italian Prime minister via a snap election. This election came about due to...

Has the Italian Parliamentary Election Signaled Democratic Backsliding?

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

In late September of 2022, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party won a plurality of the votes in the parliamentary elections to secure control of the government in Italy. Meloni has been...

South Africa: Lack of Political Participation Enables Democratic Backsliding

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

South Africa is a well-known country around the world that is often studied by political scientists because of its complicated history under apartheid and segregation and its quick democratic...

Myanmar: Exhibit A of the Danger of Military Rule

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

While the international community holds various broad examples of the inherent flaws in military institutions in government, Myanmar’s short history of democracy blows any other example far out of...

United States Polarization Effect on Backsliding

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

The rise of polarization here in the United States of America is a major cause of concern for the democratic norms which exist here in the US. Over the years, the United States has undergone a...

Malaysia: Political Crises in the Face of COVID-19

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

The Malaysian electorate has come to the spotlight in recent weeks with the general election that occurred on November 19 with the results stuck in a stalemate as no prospective Prime Minister has...

Puerto Rican Statehood

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

Since the beginning of territorial rule in Puerto Rico, there have been arguments for and against statehood. Currently, Puerto Rico is under Commonwealth status. This gives them limited rights: they...