He argues that China ought to learn from the spirit of the European enlightenment, and establish rule of law, pluralism and press and academic freedom. Ultimately, he says, you can't get to the essence of capitalism merely by focusing on its outward economic forms. Without various "soft structures" in place, reform will be unsustainable and will end in crisis.
至於賀頓所站的角度就非常「西方」，他認為中國應學習歐洲的啟蒙精神，建立法治、新聞自由、獨立大學等公共體制與多元精神，畢竟資本主義並不是光靠外表「形似」就可以學到精髓的，如果不把種種「柔性架構」確立起來，改革將無以為繼，危機也即將引爆。