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.

The Death Files: The Trump Administration’s Dangerous and Anti-Democratic ‘Self-Deportation’ Strategy

A social security master-list previously known as the ‘Death Master List’ meant for invalidating the social security numbers of deceased individuals is being repurposed in the Trump Administrations newest attempt to halt immigration. Immigrants legally authorized to...

Democratic Erosion: Trump’s threats on vulnerable students

The Trump Administration has caused an influx of high-profile arrests of international students across the United States by the Department of Homeland Security over the last few weeks, following the administration’s decision to deport students based on a provision in...

Militarizing The U.S. Boarder With Mexico: A Sign Of Democratic Erosion

On April 11, 2025, President Donald Trump granted the U.S. military permission to occupy federal lands along the border between the United States and Mexico. (Per The Guardian) The declared purpose of this decision is to increase border security and fight illegal...

Democracy in Decay:

May 8, 2024 | American University

Analyzing Democratic Backsliding in Narendra Modi’s India India is one of the world's most diverse and populated nations, with a revolutionary past and a promising future of...

Populism or Dictablanda? A look at Strongmen in Latin America

May 8, 2024 | Ursinus College

When we consider strongmen or populist leaders in Latin America, Nayib Bukele and Evo Morales stand out. Bukele was raised in El Salvador by the children of immigrants and...

An Argument for Compulsory Voting

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

Voting has been considered a sacred practice for centuries. As one of the main pillars of a democratic society, perhaps the best way to do this in a democratic system is to vote in elections. And...

Private Arbiters of Public Discourse: Facebook, MSI, and the Political Power of the Algorithm

Mar 16, 2022 | Brown University

In the digital age, it is plausible that a minor tweak in an algorithm could erode democracy as successfully as a charismatic demagogue. Juggernaut tech corporations have monopolized the markets of...

How India Turned Away from Democracy

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

In 1947, India became independent from British imperialist rule. It became a democracy with a parliamentary system and a liberal, far-reaching constitution. Hundreds of millions of people are...

America’s Revision to False Democracy: The Impact of the Judicial System’s Reversal from Protecting the Right to Vote

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

America is seen as a beacon of democracy around the world and the right to vote is one of the key principles of democracy. Having free and fair elections is one of the most important pillars of...

Canada in Crisis…Or Not: Trudeau, Emergency Powers, and the Freedom Convoy

Mar 15, 2022 | Brown University

Through the first two months of 2022, Canada has been in the midst of one of the most unforeseen political stories to emerge in years, a Vaccine mandate protest which has grown so confrontational in...

The United States, Mexico, and Unfolding Democratic Ideals

Mar 15, 2022 | University of Georgia

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has taken several actions that raise concern over United States – Mexico relations as well as the state of democracy in Mexico....

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....