How to construct an explanation of the democracy–development connection with the Asian cases? How does this particular sub-set of cases compare with other sub-set(s) of cases? And which of the sub-issues raised in Part I can be tested by the Asian cases and which not? In choosing to tackle the democracy–development question with some theoretical rethinking and then applying and illustrating the advantages of my rethinking by taking a small sub-set of cases within the universe of democracy–development cases, I need to explain and justify my methodology. This chapter tackles this in three steps: first, it takes stock of the body of literature that analyses the democracy–development link using macro, cross-national, quantitative studies, and outlines the inadequacies involved in this line of enquiry; second, it explains how there is the need to expound the qualifications and limitations involved in constructing the type of explanations I intend to undertake; and therefore, third, it lays out how, in taking the particular cases I take, one can only examine a sub-set of the issues raised in the broader conceptual analysis in Part I of this study, how only some of the general arguments introduced in Chapter 1 can be properly tested while others have to be left aside.

Macro vs micro

First, one should not ignore that there have been many statistical studies attempting to prove either that economic development is promoted by democracy or that it is hindered by democracy and promoted by ‘authoritarianism’.