Only in short term. A single autocrat can be efficient and purpose-driven and can move mountains, but the next one has decent chances to be just a useless bloke

Only in short term. A single autocrat can be efficient and purpose-driven and can move mountains, but the next one has decent chances to be just a useless bloke, and the system doesn't have a feedback loop from citizens to correct the course via elections. So eventually all autocracies deteriorate. Putin's autocracy deterioration has happened even during his lifetime.