I always seem to fall into the following trap, and I would like to know what's the best way to avoid any ambiguity when comparing between different elements, where said elements belong to different groups:
Developed a model to analyze and explain major policy trends, economic problems, and key differences between provinces and territories in terms of ...
The reader may very well think that I am talking about differences between provinces (group 1) and territories (group 2); so they may interpret this as, say, differences between men and women. But that is not my intention. In Canada, we have ten provinces and three territories. Let's call them "states". I want to make it clear that I am referring to the differences between the thirteen states.
The following reads perfectly fine:
... differences between states in terms of ...
The ambiguity arises because I have to respect the law of the land and distinguish between provinces and territories by clearly labelling them as such. What is the solution here?
