I appreciate the opportunity to offer my observations on this important contribution to the body of research on the Cuban economy and U.S.-Cuban economic relations. Because of my work in the field of agricultural economics, I feel best able to comment on the portions of this report dealing with agriculture. For that reason, while I […]
Cuba: A View of Revealed Export Advantage
The demise of socialism in Eastern Europe and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union brought an end to decades of preferential trading arrangements upon which the Cuban economy had come to rely. The initial response to this crisis by the Cuban government was, among other things, to issue a call for the Cuban economy […]
Agricultural Reform in Cuba: Implications for Agricultural Production, Markets and Trade
The creation of Basic Units of Cooperative Production (Unidades Básicas de Producción Cooperativa or UBPCs) from the former State farms in 1993 and the opening of Agricultural Markets (Mercados Agropecuarios or MAs) in 1994 were significant steps in a process of reform and transformation for the agricultural sector in Cuba. Some analysts argue that, as […]
Cuban Non-Sugarcane Agricultural Trade Patterns: Historical Perspectives and Future Prospects
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE1 Prior to 1959 the United States was clearly an important trading partner for Cuba. However, the historical trading relationship between the two countries has been far more dynamic than many people realize. For example, in the early 1930s, the United States was providing only slightly over half of Cuba’s total import requirements while […]
An Empirical Study of Income and Performance Incentives on a Cuban Sugarcane CPA
This paper presents findings of a case study of a sugarcane-farming cooperative (cooperativa de producción agropecuaria, CPA) located in the province of Havana, Cuba. Although the internal dynamics of specific Cuban cooperative farms have been examined by Cuban researchers, the results of their studies are not readily available in the United States. [ref]An exception is […]