The methodology employed in this study is based on an extensive review of the
literature on the subject matter. It reviews in particular the original literature which
played a key role in emergence and development of different approaches. An
important part of this literature stems from the 1980s and 1990s. This study therefore
draws partly on 'old literature'. However, this ‘old literature’ is not out-of-date by any
means and is rather valuable in terms of understanding the basic ideas, arguments
and concepts of different approaches. Furthermore, the original literature is
supplemented with more recent literature which reflects the discussions arising within
the women and development discourse upon the emergence of an approach. As
regards the construction of this study, each approach is analyzed in a separate
chapter. Each of these chapters starts with an introductory analysis of the underlying
arguments and concepts as well as the basic terminology of the approach in
question. The introductory analysis relies to a large extent on the original literature.
The introductory analysis is followed by in-depth analyses of other questions such as:
the practical implications of an approach for women; its operationalization by states,
development agencies, NGOs and other entities; tools used for this purpose; and so
on. In the final part of each chapter, there is a critical assessment of the approach in
question and its comparative analyses with other approaches.