8.1 Identify the debates on the role that institutions play in shaping political behavior.
8.2 Describe the characteristics of presidential, parliamentary, and semi-presidential systems, the fundamental differences among them, and their implications for policymaking and political behavior.
8.3 Explain the differences between the types of democratic executives and their primary functions.
8.4 Discuss the principal functions of legislatures and how legislative institutions differ across democracies.
8.5 Describe the key functions of judicial systems and the characteristics of differing judicial systems.
8.6 Analyze the differences between federalism and unitary systems and the reasons for and against the centralization of state power.
8.7 Identify the institutions of nondemocratic regimes and how their functions and goals differ from those in democratic regimes.