The ability to tap into energy and labour potential in your region, if you have shit money and its more effected by political will and pushing it into what they think is right, and the market has less say, you get to a point where its better to rebuild the minister's house every year then go out mine gold, or extract other resources

As for people, they learn skills that make them useful to the political elite and not skills that the market needs and then you end up with a skills shortage