Study Abroad: Metropolitan Development: The Case of Berlin

The focus of the course will be on exploring and analyzing Berlin as an overseas case study of Metropolitan Development. In particular, the role of policy in shaping the evolution and development of Berlin as well as other cities and regions in Germany will be analyzed. The course will provide a detailed focus of the salient features of Germany and Berlin highlighted in the book The Seven Secrets of Germany: Economic Resilience in an Era of Global Turbulence by David Audretsch, professor at IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In particular, the course will examine specific policies and institutions which have insulated Berlin, along with the rest of the country, from the long-term economic deterioration that has plagued much of Europe and enabled it to take advantage of the opportunities afforded from globalization rather than succumbing as a victim. These insights can be instructive to other cities, regions and countries and refute the defeatist view that globalization leads to an inevitable deterioration of standard of living, quality of life, and economic prosperity.