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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

American Xenophobic Populism: Stopping a Manufactured Disease

Apr 13, 2024 | William Jewell College

Most scholars who follow American democratic erosion begin with social polarization and attempt to find some sociological argument for it. Some thinkers, such as Kathy...

Donald Trump and Democratic Backsliding: The Threat of a Populist and More Polarized America

Apr 13, 2024 | Uncategorized, William Jewell College

As the 2024 Presidential election comes close, many of us are asking the same fearful questions: if Donald Trump finds his way to power again, will this ultimately...

The Destruction of Global Democracy: Why Nation-States Are Fundamentally Undemocratic

Mar 15, 2022 | Brown University

The current state of global democracy is in shambles. Liberal democratic institutions are in decline and the erosion of global democracy in recent years has only accelerated. As such, the liberal...

The Fall of the Dozhd TV: The Last Independent TV News Channel in Russia

Mar 14, 2022 | Brown University

On March 3rd, 2022, in the midst of the Russian invasion into Ukraine, the only independent TV news channel in Russia, Dozhd TV (also known as TV Rain), stopped broadcasting. Its editor-in-chief...

Neoliberalism, Populism, and Democratic Erosion in Peru

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

The traditional conceptions of neoliberalism and populism are quite contradictory, making it difficult to imagine a scenario in which they could be successfully combined by a political leader....

Your Political Beliefs May Be Programmed

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

We’ve all seen it – fake social media accounts blasting blatant disinformation and propaganda. Your uncle Bill retweets them and your cousin Sally shares their links on Facebook, but they don’t know...

Putin Demagoguery: The Threat of State Deception

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

For years, the Russian government has acted in opposition to growing support for democracy in Eastern Europe. Former Soviet Union members such as Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine have openly embraced...

Socialization, Polarization, and Populism in America

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

Socialization In the realm of social sciences, there are two main types of social capital: bonding and bridging. The first (bonding) typically refers to the connection between members of a...

COVID-19 and Democratic Erosion — The Virus That Eats Away Democracy

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

The issue of democracy and democratization has been a subject of debate in social sciences for years. The effects of policy reaction to the sudden global shock of the COVID-19 pandemic on democratic...

The Democratic Case for Gender Quotas

Mar 14, 2022 | Brown University

Gender-based quotas require that a certain number of women either run for or have seats in the legislature. Currently about 110 countries have rules that boost women’s chances to get elected. The...

How the Politicization of the United States Supreme Court Is Anti-Democratic

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

Sunset glow illuminated statue and colonnade of US Supreme court in Washington DC< USA The Supreme Court was established as the final arbiter of the law, tasked with guarding and interpreting the...