This paper provides a brief conceptual analysis of democracy in development. In particular, it explores the concept of developmental democracy as it is outlined in various EU documents. The paper provides a brief analysis of the main challenges to democracy building in South Asia. It explores whether, in the backdrop to these challenges, a developmental approach to democracy building might have some resonance. The final section examines the policy tools that could be used for democracy building in South Asia. It considers the applicability of EU experience to South Asia and possible EU approaches at the regional and national levels. The paper focuses on EU strategies for each country, with a focus on the bilateral and the local levels.