Welcome to Babson College’s ECN 3601 Political Economy of Sustainable Development abroad course blog! This semester, 19 Babson students will travel to Germany to learn more about sustainability and how it interacts with politics and economics. Germany has emerged as one of the world leaders in sustainability and innovation since the end of WWII. How has the political economy of Germany shaped its role in sustainability in Europe and in the world? With new “traffic light” coalition, would an increasingly popular Green Party accelerate actions towards sustainable development goals in Germany, or will these actions be hampered by the Free Democrats? The course meets first as an on-campus seminar to introduce you to the political and economic structures as well as the major environmental and sustainability debates in Germany. We will then spend spring break traveling in Germany to learn on the field, including a visit to the German Parliament (Bundestag), where the course instructor once interned.