A senior director at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. applies his expertise to the European Union, providing an in-depth analysis of its current economic situation while arguing that the U.S. model is not appropriate for the European market. As the European market expands as a single entity, it is facing economic challenges that can only be remedied by reform. Intended as a diagnosis of the status quo and as an agenda for change, Fassbender argues that the US nation-state model is outdated and is not the solution to Europe's economic woes.