Since the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, the Cuban government embarked on economic liberalization based on the adoption of capitalist mechanisms which include an opening to foreign investment. This has led to increasing claims abroad that engagement— particularly commercial engagement within the context of constructive engagement1— is the policy instrument that will lead to economic […]

En el estado moderno, la condición gregaria del ser humano impone un conjunto de normas y participación, directa o indirecta, que se expresan en las organizaciones, asociaciones y agrupaciones, oficialmente reconocidas, oficiosas y autónomas. En este trabajo se le llama sociedad civil (SC) a esas normativas y modalidades de participación. Toda sociedad necesita de control […]

This essay deals with three important issues on the Cuban economy in 1995-96: (1) the rate of economic growth; (2) the net effect of the sugar harvest; and (3) faulty reporting by serious publications on Cuba’s economic recovery. The following analysis is mostly based on official Cuban data. THE RATE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 1995-96 Until […]

The collapse of socialist regimes after 1989 reflects more bankruptcy than political change. The “old revolutionaries” and/or “counter-revolutionaries”— depending on the perspective— have been left unemployed. Before, a subversive agenda existed for “would be” destroyers or builders of “Ancient Regimes,” “Betrayed Revolutions,” and “Restorations.” Their prescriptions were very similar to the way Fidel Castro seized […]

Notes[ref]The views expressed here are those of the author and in no way represent the official views of the International Monetary Fund.[/ref] As the planet earth advances rapidly towards the twenty-first century, people are becoming more aware that the various problems affecting contemporary society cannot be solved exclusively at the national level. Increasingly the world […]