Assess learners' ability to analyze how institutional design and intergovernmental relations shaped COVID-19 policy outcomes in federal systems—specifically the United States, Germany, and Australia. Items will require comparing constitutional allocation of public health authority, fiscal and administrative capacity of subnational governments, coordination mechanisms, timing and stringency of interventions, and resulting epidemiological and equity outcomes (2020–2021). Expect evidence-based causal reasoning, interpretation of comparative data, and policy-reform recommendations.