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.

Hungary’s Legal Coup: How Viktor Orbán is Rewriting Democracy in Slow Motion

Hungary's erosion of democracy is occurring in courts, parliament and the wording of new laws, not in protests and demonstrations. Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party has been creating institutions in Hungary since more than ten years ago, and currently, Fidesz has created a...

The Fragility of Federal Agencies: Why the National Institutes of Health Is at Risk

The selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services brought with it drastic changes in public health, specifically through the National Institutes of Health.

Replacing Ballots with Bullets: How Shadow Operations are Crippling Democracy in Africa

Russia’s Wagner Group, a private military contractor organization operated in part by the Russian government, has engaged with several African nations’ sovereignty and geopolitics for some time now, from crippling opposition to extracting resources at large.

Time to Say Au Revoir to Laïcité

Dec 9, 2024 | Brown University

For the past three decades, one article of clothing has captivated the attention of the fashion capital of the world: headscarves. From Marine Le Pen to Emmanuel Macron, no...

The Digital Divide: Social Media’s Role in Polarization and Democratic Backsliding

Dec 5, 2024 | Brown University

It was a week after Donald Trump won the US 2024 Presidential Election. My little sister texted me frantically: “Mom keeps accusing Dad of voting for Trump. She can’t get...

Populism: A Drift Towards Authoritarianism in Hungary

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

In 2019, Hungary became the first country in the EU to lose its rating as a full-fledged democracy at the Freedom House. Ubiquitous corruption has diminished all sectors of society. Three specific...

Sex Workers Deserve Equal Rights and India’s Supreme Court Agrees

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

India’s recent Supreme Court decision to improve the rights of sex workers is not only a poignant step towards acceptance and regulation of the industry but also a clear example of judicial decree...

“The People” of Viktor Orbán’s Hungary Must Be Male

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

It is apparent in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary that “the people” do not include women. Women have historically not had political empowerment equal to men in Hungary, but under Orbán this is getting worse....

Xi Jinping’s Power Consolidation and the Return to Personalistic Rule; Shanghai Case Study

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

China’s single-party regime is in danger as Xi Jinping, the current president of China, seeks to return to the Mao era style of personalistic rule. Chairman Mao (Mao Zedong) was head of the Chinese...

Will Estonia Continue to be a Beacon of Democracy?

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The Coronavirus posed a challenge to government’s world wide and response in Estonia was considered to be quick, effective and generally approved by the public. Like many other democracies the...

From Tragedy to Disinformation, from Disinformation to Misinformation, From Misinformation to Threats: How Transphobia Threatened Three Separate Women’s Safety in the Wake of the Uvalde Shooting

Jun 9, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

What does the current fixation of Republicans on Trans rights have to do with a School Shooting? In the case of the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, nothing on the surface. None of the victims were...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Hungary’s Legal Coup: How Viktor Orbán is Rewriting Democracy in Slow Motion

The Fragility of Federal Agencies: Why the National Institutes of Health Is at Risk

Replacing Ballots with Bullets: How Shadow Operations are Crippling Democracy in Africa

Time to Say Au Revoir to Laïcité

Populism: A Drift Towards Authoritarianism in Hungary

Sex Workers Deserve Equal Rights and India’s Supreme Court Agrees

“The People” of Viktor Orbán’s Hungary Must Be Male

Xi Jinping’s Power Consolidation and the Return to Personalistic Rule; Shanghai Case Study

Will Estonia Continue to be a Beacon of Democracy?

From Tragedy to Disinformation, from Disinformation to Misinformation, From Misinformation to Threats: How Transphobia Threatened Three Separate Women’s Safety in the Wake of the Uvalde Shooting

Correlation between Growing Evangelical Communities and Rising Populism

Brazilians Will Have To Choose The Lesser of Two Evils

Myanmar in Shambles with the Revival of the Death Penalty

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