One might argue that a disproportionate amount of research examining the tepid market reforms in post- Soviet Cuba emphasizes the island’s second economy (Pérez-López 1995), cuentapropistas (Peters and Scarpaci, 1998) and related gray areas of commerce and consumption (Weinreb, 2009). A paradigmatic assumption driving this research is that the ever-resourceful Cuban will make ends meet […]
Fifteen Years of Entrepreneurship in Cuba: Challenges and Opportunities
The post-Soviet era ushered in new opportunities for Cuban entrepreneurs back in 1993. Attendant changes also included the legalization of the dollar and incentives to attract foreign investment, largely in the form of joint ventures (CEPAL 1997; Pérez-López 1994; Pérez-López 2001). Five years later, Peters and Scarpaci (1998) published the first systematic account of entrepreneurs’ […]
Trinidad’s Tourism: Between “Glocal” Heritage and National Economic Development
Globalization studies are the 500-pound gorilla in contemporary social science research. While the meaning of “globalization” is the subject of many debates, there is no doubt that the popularity of the topic is widespread. Once a term confined to policy analysts and scholars, the close of the 20th century quickly secured a place for “globalization” […]
Winners and Losers in Restoring Old Havana
The socialist leadership seeks to remedy the tattered fabric of Havana’s built environment by drawing on a comparative advantage: tourism. Since 1959, tourism had never been a leading economic sector. Fidel Castro had often vowed that Cuba would not become an island of bourgeoisie-catering bartenders and chambermaids as did other Caribbean nations (Eckstein 1977). Accordingly, […]
Back to the Future: The Sociopolitical Dynamics of Miramar’s Real Estate Market
A key factor in understanding the transition of the real-estate markets in cities of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union hinges on the transition from state to private ownership. Buildings, commercial centers, homes, and even vacant lots suddenly become prime targets for real-estate speculation and foreign investment. During the Cold War, small amounts of […]