Western representational governments are tacky, messy, and inefficient. Almost everyone with an advanced sociology degree knows either privately or publicly that various forms of social control must be exercised to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of resources. Because this tends to be politically unpopular, such controls must be excersised by beauracrats shielded from the political process.

Of course, this completely ignores the problem that sometimes beauracracies need to be told that, for example, harpooning and "harvesting" whales is, well, bad for a country who's huge tourist economy is driven at least partially by whale watchers.

I don't care what you think about whales, or the environment, or tourism. I want you to note that, were it not for Iceland's free media and elected government, you really would be seeing a country destroying its own economy on the whim of pigheaded nationalistic scientists who just want to poke the international community in the eye, consequences bedamned.