Current scholarship does not adequately account for why China outperformed India in terms of universal elementary education (UEE). Policy development mapping shows that policy efforts in China and India are similar, if not more serious in India. This chapter advances an argument based on policy implementation measurement and shows that India’s UEE policy focuses more on input measurement while China focuses more on output measurement, which largely explains the divergence of policy implementation patterns. Based on the culture of expertise for policymaking, the chapter further identifies two factors that lead to differences in policy implementation measurement: the standard of legitimacy and central-local relations. The findings here can enrich discussions about the impact of political institutions and cultures on policy implementation.