system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek]Grand Nagus Zek goes senile, and doesn't have Ishka to help him, the Ferengi Alliance goes into a recession. if the Ferengi Alliance runs on laissez-faire capitalism, why would how competent the head of state is, effect the economy?
gpt
The Ferengi don't have the same separation between government and business that historical Earth governments had.  You see that when the Nagus wants to open up trade with the gamma quadrant, he personally negotiates the purchase of specific goods rather than creating trade treaties like a human government would.  If his personal business fails, then it takes a good chunk of the economy with it.

EDIT:  To put it another way, just like the Queen of England owns a lot of land as her private property, the Grand Nagus owns a lot of business as his private property.