Notes1 One of the foremost concerns in the mind of policymakers, pundits, and academics in recent years is the prospects for liberal reforms in developing nations that have experienced social revolutions. To some extent, the pace of reforms put into operation frames their domestic and international identity and builds political capital. The capacity to legislate […]

In 2008 Cuba experienced its most destructive hurricane season in recorded history. Three major hurricanes and a tropical storm impacted the island in less than a month early in the season, and another hurricane raked across the island later in the season. This paper summarizes information published in an earlier report on the damages to […]

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 […]