Notes1 In this paper we draw out the implications of a nascent literature on the unbundling of institutions for Cuba’s possible transitions, and more specifically for the different economic agents that are likely to participate in the potential transitions that can take place in Cuba. One point of departure for this paper is the general […]

Notes1 Cuba’s productive capabilities continue to deteriorate, its leadership ages and sickens, and the political regime’s human rights abuses continue to mount. On August 1, 2006, Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother Raúl, Cuba’s defense minister and head of the Cuban military, known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). The transfer of power […]

In November, 2006, the President of Cuba’s National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón, responded to a question about the lack of an independent press in Cuba by pointing to the existence of the magazine Vitral. “Read the magazine Vitral,” Alarcón suggested, “unlike the moderate posture of the Catholic Church, the magazine is harshly critical of the Revolution. […]

“Poder opinar y elegir qué es lo mejor en materia económica no es sólo responsabilidad ni privilegio de economistas y políticos sino que concierne a todo ciudadano libre y responsable, que quiera protagonizar su vida y su historia social.” —“Itinerario,” p. 3 “Lo importante es salvar el futuro. El pasado ya no tiene remedio. …En […]

Professor Carmelo Mesa-Lago recently published a provocative article entitled “Is it viable to end half a century of rationing in Cuba?”1 This is an important question: the current rationing system in Cuba is widely regarded as a major source of distortions, and its elimination is singled out as a key priority in several proposals to […]