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.

Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Church and Twin Tolerations

The relationship between religion and democracy is a complex one, which makes the interaction between religious communities and the state particularly nuanced. At times, churches act as pillars of authoritarian stability; at other times, they become the loudest voices of opposition. The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) offers a particularly interesting example in this regard—both similar to and distinct from other historical cases of alliance and conflict between altar and state.

Whole-Process People’s Democracy: How China’s Rebranding of Democracy Challenges Global Norms

When Xi Jinping declared that China had achieved “a whole-process people’s democracy,” many outside observers saw the phrase as contradictory. How could an authoritarian, one-party state claim to be democratic? Yet this rhetoric is not mere propaganda, it represents a...

Peru’s Hollow Democracy: How Congress Captured the State

The political instability in Peru shows how a democracy can fall silently and without a coup. A Congress committed to safeguarding the constitution, but instead exposed its flaws when it unanimously ousted Dina Boluarte and installed José Jerí as the Constitutional President. Legislators have taken control of the state by using the legal system as a weapon, eroding public confidence and accountability. Peru is a prime example of democratic disintegration through institutional capture, with approval ratings in the single digits and emergency decrees in response to protests. Elections continue, but legitimacy has disappeared. This piece, which draws from O’Donnell, Svolik,

Congress Party vs BJP

Members of the Congress Party have been charged with money laundering in connection to the National Herald case. Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, high-status figures of the Congress Party in India, are being...

read more