“Our democracy is at stake” might as well become the official tagline for all U.S. elections. The threats of authoritarianism and democratic erosion seem to always be leering around the corner, and …
Poland’s Democratic Paradox: The Remarkable Path Toward (and Away?) from Democratic Erosion
For any country, democratic backsliding can happen suddenly and, seemingly, unpredictably. The case for Poland, however, demonstrates predictors of erosion unseen anywhere else. These unique signs of …
A Continent in Contrast: Mapping Political Polarization in Africa
Political polarization stereotypically holds a negative connotation, especially within an entire country. However, when we hold a conversation about an entire continent, does the preconception change …
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American Xenophobic Populism: Stopping a Manufactured Disease
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 Cramer, argue that polarization …
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Make Sweden Great Again: How Can We Understand Populism in Sweden?
Sweden presents an especially interesting case in the study of democratic erosion. How does a country that scored 100/100 on Freedom House in 2023 find itself at the forefront of criticism concerning …
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Venezuela: Two leaders, one resource, no democracy
The story of Venezuela’s descent into autocracy is not one tale; it is two stories linked together by little more than a transfer of power and an overreliance upon the volatile oil industry to promote …
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Democratic Erosion in Turkey Can Help Us Understand the Importance of Protecting Institutions in the Face of Extreme Polarization
For the first time since Democracy’s Third Wave in the late 20th century, the number of countries transitioning into democracies has been recently met with the same amount of countries backsliding, a …