How do distinct national institutional frameworks influence the way European Union member states adapt to the pressures of the Single European Market? Georg Menz, a scholar of political economy, examines the interaction between domestic institutional structures and supranational regulatory mandates. The book argues that national response strategies are not uniform but are instead conditioned by existing varieties of capitalism, which dictate the capacity and willingness of states to implement market liberalization policies.

Scholars in the field of European political economy frequently cite this work for its rigorous application of institutionalist theory to the process of European integration. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of domestic policy and supranational governance.