At the meeting in Cuba on combating corruption, a specialist explained to me that five elements influence corruption: a monopoly over any activity, the rules and discretion of officials, public access to information, accountability of leaders and society’s control over the government.
Read MoreToday we bring you installment number two of six excerpts from the Book “Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment” by professor/author Samuel Farber. This excerpt is on Cuban workers and the government policies regarding labor.
Read MoreWe’re continuing with the same old thing: a small group on top that decides, and the great majority who carries it out — the essence of the bureaucratic system — when it should be completely the other way around.
Read MoreThere can be no taboo or de-prioritized subjects. Issues such as democracy and participation, social autonomy, systems of political representation, political pluralism, freedom, and so on are all as vital as economic performance.
Read MoreOdalis is a cute black woman, young and full of life, who lives in a comfortable house with her 15-year-old daughter who adores her. It could be said that this Cuban woman has everything to be happy, or almost everything – even a husband who says he loves her. If it weren’t for the screams and slaps that he frequently gives her, one might believe in his love.
Read MoreThe recent reform of the law that limited migration from the provinces to the capital seems a step in the right direction, though it still doesn’t completely respond to the spirit of the constitution entitling Cubans to live wherever they see fit.
Read MoreThe recent authorization given to different types of cooperatives to sell products directly to the tourism industry is positive. However, in politics, the Cuban government will only concede what’s necessary to assure that its economic model functions on its behalf.
Read MoreThe alarm was triggered by a letter written by the school’s current director, Rafael Rosal, who affirmed that the educational institution was “on the verge of collapse” and urgently needed help “to halt the deterioration of its infrastructure.”
Read MoreThe steps announced to offset the gradual move away from the paternalistic role of the state (decentralization, the autonomy of business enterprises, the relaxation of restrictions on self-employment, moves towards cooperativism, and the elimination of many absurd rules) are being carried one drip at a time and from a state-centric vision.
Read MoreDressing passably has become one of those everyday problems that workers on a median salary can barely resolve, unless we have help from a family member living outside the country, works on an international mission or obtains hard currency at work, as in the tourist sector.
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