Democratic Erosion Consortium

Learn more about the College Discourse and Debates Alliance (CD&D) here: goacta.org/initiatives/...

Learn more about the DEC University Course here: democratic-erosion.org/teaching/

The Spring 2026 semester is underway, bringing a growing network of universities. Through cross-campus collaboration, including initiatives with the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, students explore democratic erosion and resilience while engaging with one another’s views.

DEED v7 Dataset Release - Democratic Erosion We are excited to announce that Version 7 of the Democratic Erosion Event Dataset (DEED) has now been published! The new version of DEED includes 23,421 event

We just released v7 of our Democratic Erosion Event Dataset! Updates include: 23,421 events across 156 countries (2000–2023), expanded coverage, and new actor/target variables.

Read more: democratic-erosion.org/2025/12/16/d...

Explore the dataset: democratic-erosion.org/dataset/

Looking to join our team?

We're recruiting for a part-time data scientist to help build our U.S. democratic erosion event dataset. Ability to start soon preferred.

Read more and apply here: forms.gle/C8YHTGgBhGf1...

Braver Campus Dialogue!

Yesterday, DEC students from
@gonzagauniversity.bsky.social, @jhu.edu, and @wm.edu
engaged in an insightful dialogue on democratic backsliding, co-hosted by the College Debates & Discourse Alliance. Thanks to all who contributed!
Request more information here: democratic-erosion.org/teaching/cou...

Thank you to @mikealbertus.bsky.social for the opportunity to reflect on and discuss our work in this Q&A.

You can learn more about our work and our new dataset here: democratic-erosion.org/about/

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: When Revolutions Turn Authoritarian: Pathways from Democratic Ideals to Autocratic Rule. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about join... Why do revolutionary movements that begin with democratic or liberatory ideals so often end in authoritarian rule? From the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela to the uprisings of th...

Happening this Friday at 12 pm EST! Join us and the Chicago Center on Democracy for a panel: When Revolutions Turn Authoritarian: Pathways from Democratic Ideals to Autocratic Rule. Panelists: Becca Hanson, Colin Beck, Davide Smilde, and Dora María Téllez.
Register: uchicago.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

190+ people tuned in last week to our panel “Is U.S. Democracy Really at Risk? A Framework for Assessing Threats,” with @ccps.bsky.social and @taicollab.bsky.social!

If you missed it, you can watch the full event on YouTube here:
youtu.be/uFTceoGCuhk?...

With American democracy under strain, students debate its resilience Students at Johns Hopkins University debated political decisions playing out in the U.S. Their emotional discussions reveal how one generation sees democracy.

Check out this @washingtonpost.com piece on Johns Hopkins Professor Scott Warren’s @demerosiondec.bsky.social course and the debate it fostered among students on the state of American democracy!

Read more here: wapo.st/4eznXcx

Learn more about the course here: democratic-erosion.org/teaching/

Happening tomorrow! Register here: american-spa.swoogo.com/USDemocracy

Happening next week! Don't forget to register here: american-spa.swoogo.com/USDemocracy

Is U.S. Democracy Really at Risk? A Framework for Assessing Threats

Join DEC, @ccps.bsky.social , & @taicollab.bsky.social on Tue, July 8, 10 am EST for a virtual event presenting our new nonpartisan framework for assessing democratic threats.

Register Here: american-spa.swoogo.com/USDemocracy

Planning to teach on democracy next AY? Join as a Faculty Affiliate to access our cross-university Democratic Erosion syllabus and materials (you can use 1 week or all). We also support cross-university assignments. New version launching this fall!
democratic-erosion.org/teaching/tea...

DEC’s PS article “An Events-Based Approach to Understanding Democratic Erosion” highlighting our DEED Dataset is now featured in @apsa.bsky.social's new collection: Why Political Science? The Science of Democracy.

Check it out here: apsanet.org/why-politica...

Federal Grant Cuts in Researchers’ Own Words (opinion) Researchers whose federal grants have been terminated since the start of the Trump administration describe some of the myriad impacts.

Our new op-ed in @insidehighered.com, in collaboration with @scholars.org, explores how federal funding cuts are undermining efforts to stem democratic decline.

Read the full piece here: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

🌎 @robertblair.bsky.social, Jessica Gottlieb, @lbp2106.bsky.social & Julie Anne Weaver lost funding mid-grant for their work on democratic backsliding around the world. Their program (@demerosiondec.bsky.social) built effective bridges between research and policy. Now, that infrastructure is gone.

We are excited to partner with Braver Angels, a leader in fighting political polarization in the US, as a co-sponsor of their cross-partisan national debate series on Trump’s first 100 days in office.

Upcoming Dates:
📅Zoom, April 22 & May 1
🔗eventbrite.com/e/1254673304629/?discount=BRAVER

Incredible discussion at yesterday's panel co-hosted by @ndidemocracy.bsky.social. Thank you to Tamara Cofman Wittes @tcwittes.bsky.social, Tom Carothers, Danny Choi @dhdannychoi.bsky.social, Agustina Giraudy, and all who joined to explore 2025 global trends in resisting democratic erosion!