Quality assurance in higher education is a mess: the "problem" of quality is embedded in complex sets of interacting issues that are of concern to many and varied stakeholders. Developing higher education systems that have responded to issues of quality through a "best practice" model of external quality assurance has produced mixed results. Systemic analysis using systems concepts and critical systems thinking is used to explain the divergent conclusions about transferability of external quality assurance models. Selected reports of external quality assurance models from developing countries are reviewed. The paper also examines the model adopted in the Maldivian higher education system, which is characterised by its small size and scale of operation. Small, emerging higher education systems contemplating the adoption of "best practice" prescriptions for external quality assurance activities should consider carefully the fit of those prescriptions to the local environment, rather than taking for granted the appropriateness of generic models.