Paratroopers can help by getting troops to the front, as well as threatening a number of other places. Suddenly the jerries can drop four more guys on England.
The second benefit is the immediate effect. Sure, I would be better off with an extra seven artillery on the Russian front. But I can’t get them there any time soon. However, a +1 for the eight artillery I DO have on the Russian front could open up a whole new array of possibilities.
On the other hand, I think the tech tokens are a more fair way to do tech, making it less luck-dependent and allowing smaller powers to make a small investment in hopes of getting a tech at some point down the line.
So what if Italy or Anzac gets a tech spending 10 IPCs? Would you rather have two jet fighters eventually or three normal fighters now? That doesn’t even account for something like heavy bombers, which would take a hell of an investment to pay off for a smaller power.