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.

Poland’s Democratic Decline Was Reversible

In 2015, Poland experienced a significant decrease in democracy. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), under Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s leadership, secured victories in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. In a matter of months, the government acted to diminish the...

Selective Support of the Courts: How Elite Driven Narratives in Brazil Undermine the Courts Perceived Legitimacy

When Election Results Take Too Long: What Happened in Peru

Elections are supposed to provide clarity. They tell citizens who won, who lost, and what comes next. But in Peru, the recent election did the opposite. Instead of clear results, the country faced delays, protests, and growing accusations of fraud. Thousands of people...

Where are our Leaders of ’16? The Need for a New Sovereign Republic

Mar 23, 2026 | Salem State University

In February 2026, the United Kingdom government bypassed the Northern Ireland Assembly, making it clear that the democratic institutions promised by the 1998 Good...

The Rise of Independent Voters: A Crisis of Representation in American Democracy

Mar 23, 2026 | University of Houston

The representation of American’s political identities have been vastly changing over the past two decades. Public polls show that roughly 40 percent of Americans no longer...

Florida’s Censorship of History Puts Their Democracy at Risk

Apr 4, 2023 | University of Utah

Discomfort is a vital tool used in change. People learning about history that makes them uncomfortable forces them to understand the importance of their actions and keeps them from repeating...

Show Us, Don’t Tell Us: Poll Working and How It Can Increase the Gen-Z Vote

Jan 20, 2023 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

In the 2022 Midterms, young voters nationally had the second highest turnout in history with 27% of people 18-27 showing up to the polls. Some ask for the reason of the increase.Of course, you could...

Supporting the Workforce of Democracy

Jan 14, 2023 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

In the US, we have a large and organized workforce that otherwise goes unnoticed during the elections. The workers on election day are composed of volunteers and government workers alike, each of...

The Role of COVID-19 in Latin America’s Democratic Erosion

Jan 12, 2023 | Sabanci University

The current global crisis of democracy also extends to Latin America, where half of the countries display signs of democratic erosion. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many of...

Americans Care About Their Vote: A Student’s Perspective On Poll Working

Jan 11, 2023 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

By: Kimberly Brown Georgia State University With political polarization levels being higher than ever seen, citizens are divided on almost every belief: except voting. The patterns I saw among...

What has PiS done to the one-time democratic-front runner, Poland, in the name of Democracy?

Jan 6, 2023 | Sabanci University

Democracy has been specified as the fundamental reason for the long-unseen historical record of the reign of peace. Today, the world is experiencing a major threat to democracy after the third wave...

How Democratic Backsliding Hurts Elections? The Case of Orban’s Victory in 2022 Hungary General Elections

Jan 6, 2023 | Sabanci University

Hungary was seen as the success story of democratization among post-communist countries. When Orbán won the majority in 2010, democratic backsliding indicators came out of the box. Therefore,...

Is There Any Hope Left for Belarus? 2020 Election Protests in “the Last Dictatorship in Europe”

Jan 6, 2023 | Sabanci University

Following the 2020 presidential election results in favor of Lukashenko, Belarusians move to the streets demanding free and fair elections and democracy. However, this resulted in increasing state...

Turkey’s New “Media Disinformation Law” is a Threat to democracy

Jan 5, 2023 | Sabanci University

Turkey has recently enacted a new law on media disinformation, which has sparked widespread concern and criticism from human rights organizations, media freedom advocates, and international bodies...