The purpose of this paper is to discuss the decision to re-open Farmers’ Markets in Cuba in 1994 and to assess their significance in the context of the policy changes and reforms that began in the summer of 1993. To this end, the Mercados agropecuarios (MAs) will also be compared to the Mercados libres campesinos […]

The title of this paper reveals its content. The lack of concrete facts on the Cuban economy, particularly  the State deficit and that of its enterprises, renders a serious quantitative analysis an almost impossible job. It is best then to work on a conceptual level. Common sense and the experiences of other countries should allow […]

Since the 1950s, development banks have evolved from their role as banks for everyone, usually funded by the Central Bank at subsidized terms, into that of specialized financial intermediaries, though still government-owned, but now lending primarily through commercial banks, under market-determined terms and conditions. Those countries that have succeeded in transforming the role of development […]