Alix Vargas

On April 26,1999 Professor of Sociology at Boston University and former President of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Susan Eckstein, presented her in depth research on Cuba at the Center for Latin American Studies. Professor Eckstein is the author of Back from the Future: Cuba Under Castro, The Poverty of Revolution: The State and Urban Poor in Mexico, The Impact of Revolution: Analysis of Mexico and Bolivia and she is also the editor of Power and Popular Protest: Latin American Social Movements. Her presentation entitled, "The Strength of Weak State/Weak Society: Cuba in the 1990's" was a very informative discussion about the 1990's Cuban economy and the powerful relationship between a weak State and weak society which defines present day Cuba.

As Professor Eckstein explained in her lecture, during the 1970's and 1980's Cuba's economy was very dependent on foreign trade with the soviet Union and other socialist countries. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed and socialism in Europe became sparse, Cuba was in desperate need of re-establishing itself into the world economy. After all, 86% of Cuba's trade was with the Soviet Union in 1989. Professor Eckstein pointed out that reforms were a necessity during this time of economic crisis in Cuba. She explained that these reforms led to the governments expansion of collective forms of labor and non-governmental organizations, the implementation of taxation, privatization of the agricultural sector and the decentralization of the State sector, therefore decreasing the role of the State.

Among these reforms was also the legalization of the dollar in 1993. With the legalization of the dollar a black market, prostitution and other illegal activities among Cubans soon followed. Eckstein explained that this underground consumer market was a result of the high value of the dollar in the Cuban economy and the desperate measures which Cuban's felt they must take in order to benefit from high quality consumer goods and comfortable living.

Professor Eckstein expressed that today Castro does not seem to know where the reform process will end, "reforms are born out of necessity not ideology." She pointed out that civil society is not uniformly in favor of the refoms. In general Cubans are resistant to taxation and they are non compliant. Yet, at the same time Eckstein pointed out that the present day economy in Cuba is on the rise, the peso is strengthening and consumption is expanding.