As to the methodology I would use to approach the question, I would not confine it to either empirical or theoretical methods. Empirical approaches, as used by econmetricians , fail to reveal the underlying mechanism in how governments and institutions affect economic outcomes. Theoretical approaches, as used by most mainstream economists, also suffer from methodology issues and sometimes produce irrelevant results. I believe that mathematical and statistical methods in researching social questions suffer from certain difficulties and limitations that need to be complemented by the ontological or historical method \citep*{lawson2017wrong}. In short, the proper methodology to use is a research question itself, and I hope to figure it out as I work along the way.