Notes1 Out of the chaos occasioned by the collapse of Gerardo Machado’s dictatorship in 1933 a new, charismatic leader rose up from obscurity and seized control of Cuba.2 Long before Fidel Castro led his followers to victory, Fulgencio Batista took the reins of a sweeping revolution, the idealism and mystique of which— though repeatedly betrayed—never […]

The debate on what, if anything, the United States can do to induce the Cuban authorities to liberalize has commenced again in earnest. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau, and mid-West Senators and agriculture interests are arguing that more trade and travel with Cuba will bring greater freedom to Cubans and that the […]

In 2008, I presented a paper at ASCE´s annual meeting titled “Economic Challenges facing the Cuban Authorities.” On that occasion I identified twelve economic policy areas where the Cuban authorities were facing their most pressing challenges, indicated some actions that they had either announced or taken, and sought to evaluate the likelihood that these actions […]

“La Revolución ha abandonado su proyecto, si es que alguna vez lo tuvo, de construir una sociedad más justa, y ha condenado a los cubanos a una feroz lucha por la vida desde su fase más primitiva, la alimentación.” —Vicente Botín, Los funerales de Castro1 El 2 de junio de 2009, el politólogo Pedro Campos […]

International labor migration has increasingly risen in importance associated to the ways in which the global economy is operating. Countries from all parts are seeking foreign labor as a way to compete in the global economy. Moreover, the economic activities that foreign laborers perform in their home countries are increasingly having positive effects on their […]