McGill Journal of Political Studies 2014 April, 2014 | Page 96

Using this line of reasoning, one would
attempt to identify structural conditions in
the Philippines that are absent in North
Korea and argue that these conditions
played a role in Filipino democratization.
Second, one could attempt to explain the
outcome through an explanation of norm
diffusion. Using this line of reasoning,
one would argue that the Philippines and
North Korea adopted a number of the
norms and practices held by their colonial
administrations. In turn, one would argue,
these diffused norms would have affected
the trajectory of their regimes. Neither
explanation would be entirely incorrect.
Yet, both paradigms can be incorporated
into an analysis of elite strategy to provide