Analysis of regimes' structural characteristics, institutional changes, and the directionality of changes on underlying dimensions of democracy, autocracy, and power concentrations Nine groups of variables are included in the Polity II data set: spatial-temporal domain / basic authority characteristics of politics / identification of major, abrupt polity change / events immediately preceding-causing polity termination / events signifying polity formation / indicators of democracy, autocracy and state power / institutional adaptability and persistence / central government expenditures, revenues and national accounts / Banks' polity characteristics