Re: [Marxism] Workers gain as Havana rethinks its ideological focus

[Jim Farmelant <farmelantj@xxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:03:45 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Walter Lippmann
<walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> (The idea that everyone in a poor, blockaded Third
> World country should receive the same salary without
> regard to their contribution to society, in volume
> or intensity has caused Cuba many problems over the
> years. 

This of course is not a new issue in Cuba.
Debates over material vs. moral incentives
have been going there from practically the
beginning of the Revolution.  Over the years,
Cuban policy has been callibrated and 
recallibrated any number of times.
We have seen several times when
Cuba seemed to be venturing towards
NEP-type policies, which would then
be retracted.

> Some people here in Cuba, and not a small
> number, live off of money sent by friends of family
> from abroad and often feel no inclination to give
> back to a society which gives them innumerable and
> free or virtually-free social services, from their
> heavily-subsidized food to housing, education and
> such services as transportation, phone services 
> and so forth. 

And that is no doubt a problem.  On the
other hand, if Cuba chooses to follow the
"Chinese road," as advocated by many
people in the Cuban bureaucracy, including,
of course, many economists, then Cuba,
while perhaps then attaining a more dynamic
economy also risks facing many of the problems that
afflict China, including rising poverty and
income distribution becomes less and less
egalitarian, with many people falling
further and further behind.

> This is now being turned around in
> Cuba today. Rather slowly I might add. This is a
> theme about which Raul Castro has been speaking out
> quite forcefully since he became President, though
> Fidel spoke about it prior to his decision not to
> see re-election to key leadership posts, too.) 

Raul has long been rumored to be partial towards
the adoption of a NEP-like approach to economic
policy in Cuba, in contradistinction with his brother,
so this is no great surprise.

>
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