I'm not sure, but if it tells you to flour the meat before you brown it, I believe that's to help thicken the juices and maybe it's just to kick start the cooking process of the meat.

I'm a compulsive browner.
Taste a nicely browned sausage off the bbq plate... bloody delicious. Next, put a sausage in a frying pan and slowly cook it without browning it. The flavour isn't the same. Remember when mum used to cook the sunday roast till the outer surface of the lamb took on a delicious flavour and everybody wanted the outer cuts?   Why does every body want the dark browned chicken in the woolies deli? Cause they taste better.  Instead of a flame grilled steak, next time you go to the Brekky Creek, order your Tbone lightly steamed.  It's all about caramelisation.  It's the process of caramelisation that makes the flesh of other creatures taste good without any other flavour additives.
Browning the meat prior to stewing is an attempt to impart some of that caramelised flavour into the base. How much you brown and how hot you brown has a lot to do with it. Overloading the pot while browning achieves nothing as the meat will tend to just boil in it's own juices. Browning requires a searing heat and overloading the pan makes that almost impossible.
Some dishes don't benefit much from the browning process as they may have another dominant flavour added, but some dishes benefit significantly.