How do these propositions from political science theory help understand political change in Southeast Asia? We should examine the role of the middle class, the business elites, as well as the working class at moments of political change. A quick survey of the region, however, yields poor predictive value to the role of social classes. Some of the richer, more developed countries with a strong middle class (Singapore and Malaysia) remain stable soft authoritarian regimes. The argument works better in poor countries, with arguably less developed middle-classes such as Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam that have shown few signs of democratization. It does not mean that pressures for change do not emanate from these classes but that other important factors might delay, outweigh, or even thwart their effects on political change. The following chapters on individual countries examine the role of these classes to better understand the extent to which they have been significant.