Vietnam and China’s Civil Service Merit-based Policies: A Comparative Analysis from the Policy Transfer and Historical Institutionalism Approaches

Abstract Meritocratic principles have been adopted in China and Vietnam as the main elements of their civil service reform. This study finds that there are considerable parallels in the merit-based policies of the two countries, despite the fact that Vietnam’s civil service legal reforms are almost five years behind China’s. Using policy transfer theory in conjunction with historical institutionalism, this study argues that the institutional, political, and cultural similarities and connections between the two countries are drivers of Vietnam’s pragmatic approach to policy transfer from China. This study also highlights the significance of policy transfer and historical institutionalism in comparative public policy study.