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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

The SAVE America Act and Its Implications on Electoral Democracy in the U.S.

Mar 9, 2026 | University of Houston

Introduction After his defeat in the 2020 Presidential election, Donald Trump immediately began to protest against the outcome, claiming fraud and subsequently filing...

The Elimination of Autonomous Agencies and Democratic Erosion within Mexico

Mar 9, 2026 | Featured, University of Houston

In November 2024, Mexico’s government dismantled one of its most important democratic transparency institutions. Through a constitutional reform, the government dissolved...

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...

Midterm 2022 Elections and Beyond: The Impact and Influence of Donations in American Politics

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

As most of the Midterm Election races have been decided, it is important to ask how we got here. Left leaning media have given much of the credit of the Democratic party to young voters, who came...

Is the Venezuelan Government Facing a Point of No Return?

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

A once successful democracy, Venezuela has experienced a sudden economic downturn due in part to the price of oil dropping worldwide, causing a shift at all levels of the country’s government and in...

The Creation of the National Constituent Assembly

Nov 27, 2022 | Boston University

The National Constituent Assembly Creation Venezuela was once seen as a country that seemed to be on the right track to democracy in Latin America, but that changed when Hugo Chavez took power in...