¡muchísimas gracias! It sounds like Cuba's elite is going for a variation on a China-type "market socialism." I presume that most of the "enterprises" continue to be owned by the state, so that their managers can't sell them.
Julio Huato wrote: > The party will move to give ample financial independence to public > enterprises (to be distinguished from the budgeted entities, such as > administration, hospitals, schools, etc.). No more control figures > from the planning ministry. None. No more resort to the public > budget to keep them afloat. No more micromanagement from the central > organs of the state. No more "meddling" by municipalities and > provinces (although there's a provision to fund a local/regional > development fund, which will be manage by those local bodies). > Enterprises will be legal entities responsible for their own finances, > hiring/firing choices, contracts with other enterprises, marketing of > their output; will pay the state taxes and rents. Public enterprises > will be sharply (legally) separated from the administration of the > state proper. No word about it, but the presumption is that > adjudication organs will be strengthened and have some autonomy from > the administration of the state. The state will use still ample > regulatory powers, fiscal and monetary policy, control over trade, > forex, and credit to steer them. There'll be a gradual push to unify > the monetary system (currently split in a convertible and a > non-convertible areas) and domestic prices will be allowed to get more > aligned with the foreign market, although the formal commitment to > quality health care, education, solidarity with the disadvantaged, and > international solidarity remains. The push to coordinate and > integrate regionally will continue. Cooperatives will be treated also > as fully independent legal entities able to market their stuff freely > within the regulatory environment. Self employment will be allowed > (and encouraged). The push to allocate unused public land to farmers > will continue. Public education and health care will be subject to > greater financial discipline. With exceptions, many of the freebies > we enjoyed in schools and workplaces will be dismantled or those > collectives will have to fund them on their own. The funding of > education and health care will be more in tune with the overall state > of the economy. Access to higher education will be restricted. > Leftists of the Trotskyst tradition will complain that there's not a > word about workers' control, democracy from below, etc., which doesn't > mean that the political institutions will not be functioning more > substantively (although still with a heavy dose of direction by the > Cuban communists). This is sheer speculation on my part, but the > emphasis in the party agenda on fostering a civic culture of personal > responsibility manifest in demanding more from enterprises and their > managers and setting high expectations that they, the cooperatives, > and the self employed honor their tax obligations, etc. has to cut > both ways. Knowing the Cubans, I believe that for that to function as > intended, the higher ups are entering a de facto "social contract" by > which they promise less tolerance to corruption, mismanagement, and > abuse, and *much* more responsiveness to the direct expressions of > discontent from below. Although that is not included in this project, > because it corresponds to the political (not economic and "social") > realm, the administration of the state proper will also have to > refitted to make the functionaries more personally accountable before > the law. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
