This is a too simplistic view of public policy issues in developing countries. In the region where I live and work, religion is hardly an issue. Eventhough Buddhism has made people too ready to accept what life throws at them (including being poor, having no or little access to education and other important social services, and having a corrupt government), religion doesn't play a big role in worsening governance. In some Asian countries, it is the hiarchy that has for hundreds of years been built into the social structure, making people feel as if they are subjects to the king or the leader of government, rather than an active citizen of a democratic country. The rapid economic development these countries have seen over the last 10-30 years also make a lot of the poor better off than they used to be. In many of these countries, corruption has been rampant and systematic, and some people have accepted that growth and corruption go hand in hand. A lot of them are thinking that it's OK to let corrupt leaders and bureaucrats steal this much, if in the end the country still grows this much and this many people are out of poverty. Religion in these countries play a greater role in social issues (abortion laws, for example), but not governance issues.