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.

Why The Save Act Misses The Mark

The current administration's push for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act has become yet another polarizing topic between the left and the right. The SAVE America Act mandates voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of...

The Election That May Save Hungary’s Democracy

"Today we won because the Hungarian people didn't ask what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country," -Péter Magyar Hungary just held its most consequential election in a generation, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s sixteen year reign...

Misinformation: The Role it Plays in the Persistence of the 2020 Election

The stability of democracy does not only rely on the security of elections but on the people’s trust of their legitimacy, and the aftermath of the 2020 United States presidential election shows how misinformation, elite influence, and repetition can erode that trust even when systems run properly.

The United States is Divided…and Scared of Thy Neighbor?: Polarization is Eroding Democracy

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

The Democratic and Republican parties of the US are strongly divided, with 80% of US adults saying that voters from both parties not only disagree on policy, but also on...

Diminishing Democracy Under the Georgian Dream Regime

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Since its foundation by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvilia and rise to power in 2012, the now far-right Georgian Dream party has worked to strategically erode Georgia’s...

Ukraine and Russia: Soviet Tensions Lead to Modern Mass Murder

Dec 15, 2022 | Suffolk University

Russia has been threatening the democratic sovereignty of Ukraine since the country declared independence from the USSR shortly before its official dissolution in the early 1990’s. Under the rule of...

Castillo’s Failed Self-Coup

Dec 15, 2022 | Sabanci University

Recently, on the 7th of December, Pedro Castillo former president of Peru attempted to give a self-coup d'état. The Peruvian congress held a vote in which it was decided whether the congress would...

The 2022 US Midterm: A Denouement of Populism

Dec 14, 2022 | Skidmore College

The November midterm elections have come and gone, and the American people have spoken: they reject populism. If the rise of election deniers is indicative of populism, then the underwhelming...

The Roles of Identity and Affective Polarization in Democratic Erosion

Dec 13, 2022 | University of Denver

Introduction What is the most salient causal explanation for democratic erosion in the U.S.? Is it economic inequality and neoliberal policy? What about the decay of political parties, norms, and...

The Importance of Non-Voting Youth Involvement

Dec 12, 2022 | Suffolk University

Through most of high school, I thought that the only way to get involved politically was through protests and online movements. It wasn’t until senior year that, after a conversation with a mayoral...

The Return of the Taliban to Afghanistan

Dec 11, 2022 | Suffolk University

In 1996, The Taliban emerged as the leader of Afghanistan after storming Kabul and overthrowing the Soviet-Backed president, Muhammed Najibullah. They rose to power under the promise of peace after...

Polarizing Protests: Bolsonaro’s Defeat in Brazil

Dec 11, 2022 | Skidmore College

Three years ago, former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, stood behind bars, with his best years seemingly behind him. After being released in 2019 due to a Supreme Court...

Recent Election Leaves Brazil in Polarized State

Dec 10, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

https://globalvoices.org/2022/11/21/how-football-and-politics-are-intertwined-in-a-polarized-post-election-brazil/ The most recent Brazilian presidential election between leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da...

The Invasion of Ukraine: A Crisis Magnifies a Larger Issue of Internal Instability and Corruption

Dec 9, 2022 | Suffolk University

Ukraine is facing a Constitutional Court and corruption crisis that will impact its ability to recover from the devastation to democratic sovereignty caused by Russia’s advances of military action...