The world is ending. This is the thought that went through the minds of many Americans this past summer. It was a tumultuous period, filled with civil unrest, uncertainty about public health, and …
Did COVID-19 Rescue American Democracy?
American democracy is in a state of democratic decline. Once rated 93 by Freedom House’s Freedom in the World index in 2013, the U.S.’s score dropped to 86 by 2019 (Repucci 2020). This regression did …
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Teaming Up to Tear the Constitution Down: Pandemics and Institutional Oppression in the United States
As the United States faces a national reckoning over race relations and gears up for a presidential election this month, Black Americans still encounter systemic barriers to equally exercising their …
Delay of Elections in Haiti are Contributing to Haitian Democratic Erosion
Jovenel Moïse, Haiti’s current head of government, was supposed to hold presidential elections back in October of 2019. They have been continuously postponed. How are Haitians reacting to this and …
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The Practical Power of the Secret Police in Democratic Erosion
Erosions of democracy under authoritarian rulers happen through numerous channels, with an important channel being institutions. Institutions structuralize governance according to the vision of the …
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The Rise of the Sweden Democrats: Democratic Erosion and Support for the Far-Right in Sweden
Sweden is commonly touted as one of the strongest democracies in the world; in Freedom House’s democratic assessment, they boast a 100 out of 100 score in a holistic assessment of democracy through …
Anti-Immigration Rhetoric and its Threat to Dutch Democracy
Some threats to democratic health might not be as blatant as one might think. Rather they could accompany regular developments such as a country’s immigration status. In recent years the Netherlands …
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America’s Acceptance of Populism
On June 16, 2015, the landscape of American politics and democratic norms would drastically change when former reality TV star, and soon to be 45th President, Donald Trump formally announced his run …