Sorry, I'm just jaded (seems any statement on the internet is met with "source please"). Anyhow, it's not politically popular to state such in today's climate,

Sorry, I'm just jaded (seems any statement on the internet is met with "source please"). Anyhow, it's not politically popular to state such in today's climate, but it is the largest impediment to development. We could also add war, famine, and a lack of institutions, but those are arguably caused by a lack of development and lower human capital. It's not exactly a politically correct thing to say but, if all the educated people move away from a country, who's left to rule it? Anyhow, lots of sources list corruption, inequality, human capital flight - my opinion is based on both my education (in economics) as well as my experience.