Conventional wisdom in political science supports a relationship between economic development and political democratization, but one that is mediated by a range of intervening variables, including religion. It is also accepted, following Przeworski and others, that the relationship is not a linear one, but one that operates in different ways at varying levels of development. The central focus in this paper will be the extent to which recent Russian and Chinese experience bears out these wider patterns, taking account of individual-level as well as aggregate evidence. In particular, it will be an opportunity to explore the potential of a 2014 survey that was conducted in the Russian Federation, and of comparable evidence for China.
