The considerable differences that exist in political, legal and bureaucratic culture and structure even between equally successful, geographically and linguistically proximate countries can be explained with inevitable path-dependencies following initial idiosyncratic solutions. In other words, rejectionist claims that administrative reform will inevitably lead to ‘Westernisation’ and thus amounts to ‘neo-colonialism’ or ‘cultural imperialism’ are historically inaccurate, because “in 50 years time Vietnam’s institutions for public service delivery will most likely just be better versions of what they are today, not pale imitations of those in Switzerland.”