Countries don't work because of politics, countries work because of their people.
A machine cannot work to it's full potential, or won't even work, if not all of the widgets are turning and thus balancing each other. The biggest obstacle for development is to make all of the 'widgets' move, that is, to change the mentality on citizens that think politics or politicians will do the work for them. Nothing is free, it is true that politicians make the decisions for those people (those are votes, laws, etc.) but the cost of those choices is the lack of development of a whole nation. Development is not wealth, it is the sum of steps that go into