We have been able to strengthen our democracy, eliminate tyrants and develop the Republic by ways of progress…The Constitution of 1940 has been the historic solution. All ignominy has gradually disappeared and the Cuban Republic has been developing by way of true democratic sustenance. —Ernesto Ardura, 1951 Elecciones ¿para qué? —Fidel Castro, 1960 Cuban dictator […]

Notes1 In his thoughtful analysis of economic problems of Cuba during the transition to a democratic, market economy, delivered in December 1990 to the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE) as the first Carlos Díaz-Alejandro Lecture, Felipe Pazos wrote: Cuba will have to integrate (reincorporar) businessmen, managers, engineers and all sorts of […]

Notes1 For the first thirty years after the triumph of his revolution, Fidel Castro championed Cuba as a model socialist society. Gone were the casinos, the bootlegging Americans, the mafia, and the brothels they frequented. Socialist society, he claimed, is superior to capitalism. Girls do not have to sell themselves for money in Cuba’s new […]

Felipe Pazos’ professional activities have dual aspects: those based on his intellect and those based on his active involvement in the issues of his time. This is true in general as well as with respect to the role of institutions in Cuba’s transition from socialism. While I will spend most of my time on the […]

Ten years ago, Felipe Pazos gave us a valuable tool to help us think about the economic problems of transition in Cuba. Recently I re-read his paper “Problemas económicos de Cuba en el periodo de transición” and asked myself how it had withheld the test of time, focusing particularly on macroeconomic issues and policies. Early […]