La economía de Cuba ingresa al cuarto quinquenio del siglo XXI: Introducción al dossier

Abstract

This article focuses on a diagnosis of Cuba’s economic problems principally since 2010, considers the country’s comparative advantages, describes some of the changes in economic policy, formulates a critical analysis of the problems that stem from—or persist in—these new policies, and characterizes some resistance to these policies. It draws from the other articles in this dossier, but its mistakes are this author’s sole responsibility; its conclusions are the author’s own. The combination of a bad economic legacy and a worse set of circumstances when the reforms started, along with the limitations of the new policies, their internal contradictions, and the resistance they provoke explain what happened in this century’s third five-year period. The results are insufficient for an economic takeoff for Cuba but point to a better future, provided that the process of change accelerates, the counterproductive policies adopted in recent years are terminated, and there is success in overcoming the resistance that prevents progress toward a prosperous and sustainable Cuban economy, without delay but with much greater speed.