Imagine that you are trying to answer a research question about the relationship (if any) between a country’s petroleum resources and its political system. How would you define these variables in measurable ways? In this research design, which variable would you consider the independent variable and which the dependent variable? A short article in the Montréal Review (https://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/Oil-and-Democracy.php) might help you address this question (Montréal Review 2010).