For example, over here we don't have socialized medicine at the federal level, although we should. But many states have health care systems that fill in for the very needy. My sister-in-law in Massachusetts, for example, lives below the poverty line but has state medical coverage for her four children. Another example is provision for the homeless. Even in the most conservative parts of the country there are systems for handling this problem. A quote from a homeless person in Colorado Springs: "You can't starve in this town."
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-06-09/cover.html

There is a safety net at the very bottom of the economic range.

Similarly, we've had discussions here just recently about ownership of water systems and road systems where it's revealed that France has private versions of these services while America's are mostly public. London Transport's "Public and Private Partnership" is a partially privatized approach to managing the tube system, while NYC's subway is still solidly under governmental control. Some cities in America own their own electric power systems, e.g. Omaha, Nebraska,
http://ww1.oppd.com/who/index.cfm
while much of Europe's electricity is provided by private companies, e.g. Enel SpA in Italy.

And both economic areas pursue protective tariffs, subsidize farmers, and otherwise manage their economies.

I'm not sure that there is a huge difference between the systems...