Discuss a variety of key relationships between political institutions and these other social phenomena.

Research question:
Political institutions are key factors which distinguish varieties of political regimes (democracies and non-democracies) as well as sub varieties of democratic and nondemocratic regimes. These regime varieties (and their transformations) are both affected by and have consequences for other political, socioeconomic, international and cultural phenomena. Discuss a variety of key relationships between political institutions and these other social phenomena, both with respect to institutions as the dependent variable as well as with respect to institutions as the independent variable. In addition to course literature which emphasizes theory, a wide variety of course readings which present single- as well as comparative-country case studies must be utilized. The latter can provide real-world illustrations as well as serve as sources of historical and numerical data.