Institutional design, expertise, and resources determine how each branch defines and handles policy.

Evidence

Every governmental institution has its own characteristic way of defining and dealing with policy issues. The approach used reflects the background and expertise of the policymakers, the factors they consider in making their policy decisions, and the resources they command to ensure that their policies are carried out. Some critics have charged that, compared to other governmental bodies, courts are relatively ill-equipped to devise and implement policy. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 2849

Categorization

• XREF: Sets up the institutional-capacity comparison central to the course’s study of judicial structure versus other political branches.