Is the U.S. Becoming More Like Europe?

Six months into the Obama presidency, the administration's legislative goals have begun to crystallize, and many have spurred debate. Among the themes that are emerging is a storyline championed by conservative commentators that the president's initiatives bear a distinct resemblance to European policies. Some have gone as far as to invoke the word, "socialist."

Politics aside, there is much to be gained by examining the successes and failures of real-world models of American policy goals. To assess the viability of those goals and the similarities between White House plans for legislation and Europe's policies, SmartMoney analyzed four of the president's recent initiatives and compared them to analogous policies in Europe.

For example, the president says he intends to remake the nation's health-care system. Congress is wrangling over the details of how to pay for the massive overhaul, and Obama took his plan to the public in a prime time news conference this week. The fundamental idea behind the plan – to expand coverage to the more than 40 million Americans who have no insurance – parallels health care systems in other countries, most notably in Western Europe.

Obama has also called for the development of a high-speed rail system and a cap and trade system to limit carbon emissions – each has a counterpart in Europe. And the cash for clunkers program that went into effect last week followed a similar program launched in Germany.

"There's a lot going on all over the world. The U.S. is trying to figure out what would work best given its unique situation," says Mark Browne, a professor of risk management at the Wisconsin School of Business. "It's certainly in our best interest to keep track of what's going on in other places."

4 U.S. Policies Compared to Their European Counterparts: