Cuban Economists on the Cuban Economy was written, in part, to reveal the rigorous research conducted within the country and to clarify the different factors that Cubans emphasize in examining their place on the world economic stage. It also provides unique insights into the island’s fight against poverty, its aging population, and its trade unions. This book will be an invaluable resource for years to come.

The transformation of the Cuban economy over the last decade is only likely to accelerate. In this edited volume, prominent Cuban economists and sociologists present a clear analysis of Cuba's economic and social circumstances and suggest steps for Cuba to reactivate economic growth and improve the welfare of its citizens.

The Cuban Economy in ​a New Era diagnoses the ills afflicting Cuba's economy and examines seven areas: macroeconomic policy, central planning, small and medium private enterprises, nonagricultural cooperatives, financing options for the new private sector, state enterprise management, and relations with international financial institutions.

Che Guevara remains an iconic figure, four decades after his death. Yet his most significant contribution - his work as a member of the Cuban government - is rarely discussed. This book explores his impact on Cuba's economy, through fascinating new archival material and interviews.

Cuban Economists on the Cuban Economy was written, in part, to reveal the rigorous research conducted within the country and to clarify the different factors that Cubans emphasize in examining their place on the world economic stage. It also provides unique insights into the island’s fight against poverty, its aging population, and its trade unions. This book will be an invaluable resource for years to come.

In September 2010, the Cuban government decided to embark on an economic reform program, unprecedented after the Revolution in 1959. This opened up opportunities for Cuban economists and scholars to participate in the development of the reform program. Thanks to grants from SSRC (Social Sciences Research Council, New York) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several researchers from the Cuban think tank CEEC (Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy, Havana) got an opportunity to visit countries that could be of interest for the reform process, notably Vietnam, but also Brazil, South Africa and Norway. The result of these field visits and a subsequent workshop involving contributions from Cuban as well as non-Cuban scholars, this volume showcases unprecedented new insights into the process and prospects for reform along many dimensions, including foreign direct investment, import substitution, entrepreneurship and business creation, science and technology development, and fiscal policies. The resulting analysis, in a comparative perspective, provides a framework for future research as well as for business practice and policymaking.

As once-powerful communist rulers flee their presidential palaces and centralized economies give way to free markets, the future of Latin America's last socialist country hangs in the balance. In a fast-paced style that is both technically sophisticated and admirably free of economic jargon, Eliana Cardoso and Ann Helwege provide a much-needed road map for a peaceful and productive transition from communism to capitalism. They vividly depict the tough choices Cuba faces in the years ahead, and propose a series of reforms to ease Cuba through a transition to capitalism while preserving some legitimate gains--such as those in education and health care--that socialism has provided the Cuban people. The authors begin with the crux of Cuba's predicament: it is an overly centralized single-crop economy that is fast running out of money, as it can no longer depend on privileged trade relations with the former Soviet Union. In this difficult period, Cuba faces the challenge of managing an increasingly chaotic, dysfunctional economy. Is Cuba's transition to capitalism bound to yield another Haiti? Cardoso and Helwege answer with a resounding no. They begin their analysis with a fascinating history of the political roots of Cuba, from Cuban "independence" after the Spanish-American War to the rise of Castro and the development of a socialist economy. After discussing the various economic alternatives reflected in the experience of neighboring countries--models as diverse as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Chile--the authors present a systematic program to help Cuba prevent economic decline and political chaos. Their plan involves rapid privatization and the attraction offoreign investment, while providing safeguards against the excesses and inequalities endemic to Latin American capitalism.