economía
A fines de los años cincuenta, Cuba presentaba una estructura económica con marcados rezagos tecnológicos e insuficiente desarrollo industrial. El dinamismo de la producción y las inversiones era bajo, en tanto que la distribución del ingreso revelaba sesgos concentradores marcados. Durante el período 1959-1989 el producto aumentó a una tasa media anual aproximada de 4% y la política económica asignó al Estado un papel relevante en la producción de bienes y servicios, con marcado predominio de la planificación sobre los mecanismos del mercado en la regulación de la actividad económica. En esa etapa, la economía experimentó trascendentes modificaciones de sus bases productivas, aun cuando repitió muchas de las deficiencias comunes de los países socialistas: sobredimensionamiento de proyectos, incorporación de tecnologías atrasadas y descuido de la competitividad.
Así, durante tres décadas Cuba se mantuvo al margen de las enormes transformaciones que se sucedían en los mercados de Occidente. Al amparo de los arreglos con los países socialistas, el país contó con mercados seguros para sus exportaciones, una relación de intercambio favorable (algo menos en los años ochenta); y un generoso financiamiento de la balanza de pagos. Con ineficiencias notorias, se incrementó el acervo de bienes de capital y se expandió la infraestructura física; se amplió la capacidad de embalses de agua, se modernizó la red ferroviaria y se construyeron autopistas, carreteras y caminos rurales. Se avanzó en la electrificación del país. Se realizaron fuertes inversiones en desarrollo de recursos humanos, particularmente en los sectores de salud, educación, cultura y deporte. El elevado contenido social de la política económica permitió avances sustanciales en los servicios básicos a la población, así como la formación de recursos laborales con calificaciones crecientes.
Aquí se expondrán trabajos relacionados con la historia económica de Cuba, pero sobre todo las dificultades de este tipo que afectan hoy el desarrollo de la sociedad y el bienestar de los cubanos.
At the end of December 2024, several people wrote to elTOQUE expressing concerns about rumors regarding a possible elimination of the magnetic MLC for shopping in government stores priced in US dollars.
The opening of the new supermarket 3ra y 70, located under the Gran Muthu Habana Hotel, dominated the headlines of Cuba’s independent press in the first days of 2025.
Social media reactions, citizen reports, and press coverage highlight the widespread indignation among Cubans over the store’s policy: purchases can only be made with cash in foreign currency or international and certain domestic cards.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, presented an update on the government’s plan and projections for 2025 at the National Assembly of People’s Power on December 18, 2024. In his over two-hour intervention, he emphasized the increased use of dollarization as a strategy to generate foreign currency.
Almost four years after the monetary unification that forced many Cubans to convert their “foreign currency savings accounts” into “certificates of deposit”. The excuse given to Daymi, Iran, and other clients of any Cuban bank is almost always the same: “we don’t have liquidity.”
Instead of addressing the direct causes of the farm sector’s low productivity, the authorities continue to promote centralized structures.
For decades the Venezuelan State Oil Co., PDVSA, has been Cuba’s main supply under highly favorable conditions that haven’t been fully disclosed.
Who is Bouygues, the French conglomerate that built Cuba’s Five-Star Hotels? Read on and you will find out.
For the first time, a thorough review of official records allows for the mapping of Cuba's military expansion in Angola, especially in Healthcare, Education, Oil, Construction and Mining. Although the provision of services represents its main source of income, the Cuban government also manages public limited companies, including private clinics, and exports medicines and blood products to the African nation, which generate multimillion-dollar profits.
For decades, claims of modern slavery have tainted Cuba's international mission in Angola without a single official document to prove it…until now. Based on more than 7 300 payrolls and account statements issued by the Cuban
Military — among other official documents, testimonies, and reports — this two-part investigation reveals Cuba's multimillion-dollar business network that profits from its workers abroad in the name of solidarity.
Can buyers drive down the price of the dollar? Find out what factors influence and how they impact economic stability.
Beyond the scarce figures offered by the island’s government, the real impact of the enclave on the Cuban economy is unknown.
The appearance of a truck carrying sacks of rice and another with powdered milk after the protest that took place in Santiago de Cuba on March 17, 2024, was no coincidence. The authorities in the eastern city attempted to appease the citizens with some food.
Those who are promoting the new measures to eliminate “distortions” are the same ones who reorganized the economy and failed yesterday, and who now want to make people believe — with scant and deficient arguments — that it is not the same situation and are not neoliberal measures.
Between 2018 and 2022 the Cuban government appealed to “scheduled service interruptions” to cut domestic consumption by 10.6%. However, this saving wasn’t enough to compensate the electricity generation deficit, which was the result of fuel shortages and the deterioration of old power plants.
The severe shortage of coffee in Cuba, high prices in the informal market and uncertainty about future harvests and imports have meant that this beverage, which used to be an accessible and standardized product in Cuba, has become a luxury item.
The Cuban government has decided to implement a forced bankarization and an accelerated digitalization of the payment system in just six months. They expect this to happen in a country with one of the most backward telecommunications infrastructures and one of the least developed banking systems and payment instruments in the region.
Galloping inflation, fiscal deficit, bankarization and financial corralito are some of the economic terms frequently heard in Cuba. Economist Pavel Vidal reflected on this during a live broadcast of elTOQUE.
When domestic prices grow at a higher rate than the exchange rate in the informal market, the incentive for MSMEs is not to produce, export and substitute imports, but to flood the domestic market with imported goods.
Do we have to put up with Mydalis Naranjo (deputy minister of the Food Industry) saying on national television that the seas surrounding Cuba have no fish? Is the justification for the embargo not enough and now a supposed geographic fatality is the new leitmotif of our misfortunes?
The deputy prime minister and minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil, said in late May 2023 that annual inflation in Cuba – measured between April 2022 and April 2023 – was 45.4%, and food products were the hardest hit.
The daily life of Cubans continues to be affected by inflation, while the perception of insecurity increases due to reports of violence in several cities.
The shortage of physical cash in ATMs in several provinces has provoked criticism from the public and questioning of the institutional silence.
It is rather advocating for an elitist system that benefits certain social groups above others, institutionalizing inequality among Cubans.
The government said nobody should be worried about their savings losing value under the new economic reforms. After 2+ years a different reality prevails.
Matraca artists draw this week on the decision to allow cash dollar deposits in banking entities, again.
economía
A fines de los años cincuenta, Cuba presentaba una estructura económica con marcados rezagos tecnológicos e insuficiente desarrollo industrial. El dinamismo de la producción y las inversiones era bajo, en tanto que la distribución del ingreso revelaba sesgos concentradores marcados. Durante el período 1959-1989 el producto aumentó a una tasa media anual aproximada de 4% y la política económica asignó al Estado un papel relevante en la producción de bienes y servicios, con marcado predominio de la planificación sobre los mecanismos del mercado en la regulación de la actividad económica. En esa etapa, la economía experimentó trascendentes modificaciones de sus bases productivas, aun cuando repitió muchas de las deficiencias comunes de los países socialistas: sobredimensionamiento de proyectos, incorporación de tecnologías atrasadas y descuido de la competitividad. Así, durante tres décadas Cuba se mantuvo al margen de las enormes transformaciones que se sucedían en los mercados de Occidente. Al amparo de los arreglos con los países socialistas, el país contó con mercados seguros para sus exportaciones, una relación de intercambio favorable (algo menos en los años ochenta); y un generoso financiamiento de la balanza de pagos. Con ineficiencias notorias, se incrementó el acervo de bienes de capital y se expandió la infraestructura física; se amplió la capacidad de embalses de agua, se modernizó la red ferroviaria y se construyeron autopistas, carreteras y caminos rurales. Se avanzó en la electrificación del país. Se realizaron fuertes inversiones en desarrollo de recursos humanos, particularmente en los sectores de salud, educación, cultura y deporte. El elevado contenido social de la política económica permitió avances sustanciales en los servicios básicos a la población, así como la formación de recursos laborales con calificaciones crecientes. Aquí se expondrán trabajos relacionados con la historia económica de Cuba, pero sobre todo las dificultades de este tipo que afectan hoy el desarrollo de la sociedad y el bienestar de los cubanos.
At the end of December 2024, several people wrote to elTOQUE expressing concerns about rumors regarding a possible elimination of the magnetic MLC for shopping in government stores priced in US dollars.
The opening of the new supermarket 3ra y 70, located under the Gran Muthu Habana Hotel, dominated the headlines of Cuba’s independent press in the first days of 2025.
Social media reactions, citizen reports, and press coverage highlight the widespread indignation among Cubans over the store’s policy: purchases can only be made with cash in foreign currency or international and certain domestic cards.
Instead of addressing the direct causes of the farm sector’s low productivity, the authorities continue to promote centralized structures.
For the first time, a thorough review of official records allows for the mapping of Cuba's military expansion in Angola, especially in Healthcare, Education, Oil, Construction and Mining. Although the provision of services represents its main source of income, the Cuban government also manages public limited companies, including private clinics, and exports medicines and blood products to the African nation, which generate multimillion-dollar profits.
Beyond the scarce figures offered by the island’s government, the real impact of the enclave on the Cuban economy is unknown.
Between 2018 and 2022 the Cuban government appealed to “scheduled service interruptions” to cut domestic consumption by 10.6%. However, this saving wasn’t enough to compensate the electricity generation deficit, which was the result of fuel shortages and the deterioration of old power plants.
Galloping inflation, fiscal deficit, bankarization and financial corralito are some of the economic terms frequently heard in Cuba. Economist Pavel Vidal reflected on this during a live broadcast of elTOQUE.
The deputy prime minister and minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil, said in late May 2023 that annual inflation in Cuba – measured between April 2022 and April 2023 – was 45.4%, and food products were the hardest hit.
It is rather advocating for an elitist system that benefits certain social groups above others, institutionalizing inequality among Cubans.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, presented an update on the government’s plan and projections for 2025 at the National Assembly of People’s Power on December 18, 2024. In his over two-hour intervention, he emphasized the increased use of dollarization as a strategy to generate foreign currency.
For decades the Venezuelan State Oil Co., PDVSA, has been Cuba’s main supply under highly favorable conditions that haven’t been fully disclosed.
For decades, claims of modern slavery have tainted Cuba's international mission in Angola without a single official document to prove it…until now. Based on more than 7 300 payrolls and account statements issued by the Cuban
Military — among other official documents, testimonies, and reports — this two-part investigation reveals Cuba's multimillion-dollar business network that profits from its workers abroad in the name of solidarity.
The appearance of a truck carrying sacks of rice and another with powdered milk after the protest that took place in Santiago de Cuba on March 17, 2024, was no coincidence. The authorities in the eastern city attempted to appease the citizens with some food.
The severe shortage of coffee in Cuba, high prices in the informal market and uncertainty about future harvests and imports have meant that this beverage, which used to be an accessible and standardized product in Cuba, has become a luxury item.
When domestic prices grow at a higher rate than the exchange rate in the informal market, the incentive for MSMEs is not to produce, export and substitute imports, but to flood the domestic market with imported goods.
The daily life of Cubans continues to be affected by inflation, while the perception of insecurity increases due to reports of violence in several cities.
The government said nobody should be worried about their savings losing value under the new economic reforms. After 2+ years a different reality prevails.
Almost four years after the monetary unification that forced many Cubans to convert their “foreign currency savings accounts” into “certificates of deposit”. The excuse given to Daymi, Iran, and other clients of any Cuban bank is almost always the same: “we don’t have liquidity.”
Who is Bouygues, the French conglomerate that built Cuba’s Five-Star Hotels? Read on and you will find out.
Can buyers drive down the price of the dollar? Find out what factors influence and how they impact economic stability.
Those who are promoting the new measures to eliminate “distortions” are the same ones who reorganized the economy and failed yesterday, and who now want to make people believe — with scant and deficient arguments — that it is not the same situation and are not neoliberal measures.
The Cuban government has decided to implement a forced bankarization and an accelerated digitalization of the payment system in just six months. They expect this to happen in a country with one of the most backward telecommunications infrastructures and one of the least developed banking systems and payment instruments in the region.
Do we have to put up with Mydalis Naranjo (deputy minister of the Food Industry) saying on national television that the seas surrounding Cuba have no fish? Is the justification for the embargo not enough and now a supposed geographic fatality is the new leitmotif of our misfortunes?
The shortage of physical cash in ATMs in several provinces has provoked criticism from the public and questioning of the institutional silence.
Matraca artists draw this week on the decision to allow cash dollar deposits in banking entities, again.
