Notes1 For the last 40-odd years, Cuba’s ruling government has actively sought to eliminate the institutions that prevailed in Republican Cuba and to replace them with institutions that support a socialist, centrally-directed economy. The Cuban socialist regime undermined the institutions it inherited: eliminated private property, disassembled the legal framework that enabled private enterprise and decentralized […]

Cuban visitors and residents have the option of buying certain types of food with either pesos or dollars. They may use one of four different currencies and have access to more than eight different types of official food markets. Cuban pesos are used in the ration stores, and various agricultural markets. U.S. dollars and, to […]

Notes1 The amount of information on the current condition of the Cuban economy available as of mid-2003 is very limited in comparison to what had become customary in recent years. Not available at this time are: (1) the official statistical yearbook for 2002 or a preliminary statitistical summary; and (2) the report of the Banco […]

Notes1 Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country, and wedded to its liberty by the most lasting bonds. —Thomas Jefferson This paper presents some thoughts regarding the role of small farmers and family farms in […]

Notes1 The Caribbean Sea is home to the world’s largest assemblage of small and mini-states, a mixture of large to small islands with a wide fusion of languages, religions, ethnic groups, and customs (Thomas 1988). This pattern of development reflects the influences of colonization and settlement: four major European empires, as well as the United […]