Conference Program: Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (Miami 26-28 July 2018)

For those of you with interests in Cuba, economic, social and political policy, international and comparative law and economics, the state of U.S.-Cuba normalization, legal reform in Cuba, theories of Marxist-Leninist state organization, Caribbean and Latin American issues or trade, the upcoming 27th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy might be of interest, 

The Preliminary Conference Program follows. Conference information may be accessed HERE.

Of particular interest may be the 2018 Carlos Díaz-Alejandro Lecture, delivered by Andrés Velasco, Columbia University and former Minister of Finance, Chile, entitled: Economic Growth, Populism and Democracy. Additionally, the 2018 Ernesto Betancourt Keynote Address will be presented by Mark Sullivan, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, entitled The Role of Congress in U.S. Policy toward Cuba.

Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting
Miami, July 26-28, 2018

Draft Program as of June 22, 2018 -- Subject to Change Thursday, July 26

1. Opening Plenary: Current Economic and Political Situation
Chair: Helena Soto-Gabriele, University of Miami and ASCE President Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo Mario González-Corzo, Lehman College, City University of New York Frank Mora, Florida International University
Dagoberto Valdés, Centro de Estudios Convivencia

Concurrent Sessions

2. Monetary Duality and Currency Unification
Chair: Joaquín Pujol, International Monetary Fund (retired)
Luis Luis, "Cuban Peso Unification: Managed Rate and Monetary Analysis"
Rafael Romeu, DevTech Systems, and Gabriel DiBella, IMF, "Currency Unification: Progress in 2018"
Armando Linde, International Monetary Fund (retired), "Cuba's Currency Mess: Expectations Recede for Unification and Convertibility"
Discussants: Pavel Vidal Alejandro, Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia; Ernesto Hernández- Catá, Assistant Director, International Monetary Fund (retired)

3. Special Topics
Chair: TBA
Alfred G. Cuzán, University of West Florida, "Evaluating Castro's Cuba, Franco's Spain and Pinochet's Chile: Economic, Social, and Political Indicators"
Teo Babún, Outreach Aid to the Americas, "Faith-Based Organizations’ Role in Civil Society Development and the Cuban Economy"
Soren Triff, "Compañeros que nos 'atienden' y europeos que nos 'acompañan': la vida diaria y el humor negro bajo la economía de la miseria"
Nicolás Sánchez and Michael Gendre, "The Role of Fake News in the Genesis of the Cuban Revolution: A Comparison of Cuba, Florida and France around 1950"
Discussants: TBA

Lunch

Concurrent sessions

4. Agriculture
Chair: TBA

Armando Nova, Universidad de la Habana, "Sector Agropecuario Cubano: importancia económica y estratégica, recientes transformaciones, la intercooperación cooperativa y retos" Olimpia Gómez Consuegra, Ing. Radamé Savón, Tomás Depestre, y José F. Alonso, "Experiencias en la instrumentación de huertos típicos en Cuba para contribuir a mejorar las necesidades nutricionales"
Mario González-Corzo, Lehman College, City University of New York, "Agricultural Reforms in Transition Economies: Principal Characteristics and Implications for Cuba"
Juan Tomás Sánchez, Sugarcane Growers Association of Cuba, Inc. and Mario González-Corzo, Lehman College, City University of New York, "Características principales del modelo de producción de frutas y vegetales en Cuba antes de 1959 y perspectivas para su desarrollo en condiciones de cambio político y económico"

5. Transition Issues
Chair: Carlos Quijano, World Bank (retired)
Vadim Grishin, Georgetown University, "Economic Cycles and Political Transition in Cuba" Lorenzo Pérez, IMF (retired), "Profundización financiera: Un sistema financiero y de valores posible para Cuba"
Enrique Pumar, Santa Clara University, "Is Another Way Possible? The Catholic Church's Position on the Transition and Reconciliation"
Vidal Romero, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico, "Liberalización económica y riesgos para la seguridad y la legalidad en Cuba"
Rafael Gordo Núñez, Instituto Cubano de Economía Aplicada para una Transición Democrática, "Sostenibilidad económica de medios de comunicación en Cuba e independencia editorial frente a las fuentes de financiamiento externo y la ambigüedad legal del internet en el país"

Carlos Díaz-Alejandro Lecture
Presenter: Andrés Velasco, Columbia University, former Minister of Finance, Chile Presentation Title: Economic Growth, Populism and Democracy

Friday, July 27

Concurrent sessions

6. Measuring the Performance of the Cuban Economy
Chair: Paul Meo, World Bank (retired)
Ernesto Hernández-Catá, Assistant Director, International Monetary Fund (retired), "Growth and Policy-Induced Distortions in the Cuban Economy. An Econometric Approach"
John Devereux, Queens College, "The Absolution of History: Cuban Living Standards Over the Very Long Run"
Luis Locay, University of Miami, and John Devereux, Queens College, "Comparing the Quality of Education in Pre- and Post-Revolutionary Cuba Using US Labor Market Outcomes" Discussants: TBA

7. Legal/Commercial Issues
Chair: Jorge Sanguinetty, DevTech Systems

José Gabilondo, College of Law, Florida International University, "Understanding OFAC’s New Restrictions on Direct Financial Transactions with the Cuban Government"
Rafael Andrés Velázquez Pérez, Universidad de Holguín y Universidad de Vigo, "The current legal framework for FDI in Cuba: Need for a BIT with the US" William Messina and Frederick S. Royce, University of Florida, “How Much of its Food is Cuba Really Importing?”
Alicia Barrio, Universidad de la Habana y Frank Carlos Martínez, The Havana Consulting Group, "Los primeros informes académicos sobre economía cubana elaborados en los EEUU"

Concurrent sessions
8. La economía cubana: su lugar en las Américas
Chair: Roger Betancourt, Profesor Emérito, University of Maryland
Ponente:
Pavel Vidal Alejandro, Universidad Javeriana, Cali, "¿Qué lugar ocupa la economía cubana en la región? Una medición a la tasa PPA de las brechas de ingreso y productividad"
Comentaristas:
Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Profesor Emérito, University of Pittsburgh, “Pavel Vidal’s Conclusions and the UNDP Index of Human Development”
Jorge Pérez-López, U.S. Department of Labor (retirado), "Reflections on Cuban GDP Statistics" Ernesto Hernández-Catá, Assistant Director, International Monetary Fund (retirado), “A Comment on the Role of Total Factor Productivity in Explaining the Behavior of GDP in Cuba”

9. Student Panel
Chair: Enrique Pumar, Santa Clara University

ASCE Official Luncheon ASCE Student Awards
Chair: Enrique Pumar, Santa Clara University
Ernesto Betancourt Keynote Address
Mark Sullivan, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, "The Role of Congress in U.S. Policy toward Cuba"

Concurrent sessions
10. Session I on legal issues for CLE credit
Either:
Rolando Anillo, Esq., School of Law, Tulane University, "Deep Dive into the Cuban Restricted Entities List and Interpretation of 31 CFR 515.208"
or
Pedro Freyre, Esq., Akerman LLP, "Preparing a Self Disclosure Filing with OFAC"

11. Cuba's Political/Economic Culture in the Post-Raúl Period
Chair: Gary Maybarduk, U.S. Department of State (retired)

Larry Catá Backer, Coalition for Peace & Ethics and Pennsylvania State University, "The Challenge of Preserving the Revolutionary Moment in Changing Times"
Arturo López-Levy, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and Ralf Otto Niederstrasser, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, "Five Keys to Cuba's Presidential Change in 2018"
Luis Carlos Battista, Center for Democracy in the Americas, "Cuba’s Post-Revolutionary Foreign Policy"
Gary Maybarduk, U.S. Department of State (retired), "Cuba's Political Arteriosclerosis: It Not Only Belongs to the Castros"

Concurrent sessions

12. Session II on legal issues for CLE credit
Either:
Rolando Anillo, Esq., School of Law, Tulane University, "Deep Dive into the Cuban Restricted Entities List and Interpretation of 31 CFR 515.208"
or
Pedro Freyre, Esq., Akerman LLP, "Preparing a Self Disclosure Filing with OFAC"

13. Sectoral Issues
Chair: Oscar Echevarría, GlobalExpand
Jorge R. Piñón, University of Texas at Austin, "The Cuban Electric Power Sector: Cornerstone in a Comprehensive National Energy Policy"
Emilio Morales, The Havana Consulting Group, "Industria turística cubana en el ojo de la tormenta"
Jorge Horacio Medina, "Situacion de la industria petrolera venezolana y relaciones con Cuba" Discussants: María Dolores Espino, St. Thomas University; others TBD

Day 3--Saturday, July 28

Concurrent sessions

14. From the Cuban Adjustment Act to the Wet Foot/Dry Foot Policy: New Legal Issues in the Cuban Exodus
Chair and Discussant: Silvia Pedraza, University of Michigan
Marisa Casablanca, Esq., Akerman LLP
Juliana G. Lamardo, Esq., Law Offices of Juliana G. Lamardo Willy Allen, Esq., Law Offices of Wilfredo O. Allen
15. Labor Market and Demographic Issues
Chair: John Zemko, Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Ted Henken, Baruch College, City University of New York, “¿El perfeccionamiento del trabajo por cuenta propia? An Analysis of the State of Self-Employment in Cuba a Year After the August 2017 Licensing Freeze”
John Vertovec, Florida International University, "Utilizing Intersectionality to Analyze Social Diversity in Cuban Self-Employment"
Humberto Barreto, DePauw University, "Cuba’s Demographic Headwinds"

Discussants: Ivan Garcia Quintero, Sergio Díaz-Briquets

16. El Proyecto Consulta Popular Cubana: una propuesta de reconocimiento constitucional del derecho de todos los cubanos en la economía nacional para una salida democrática Moderador: Gilberto Conill Godoy
Panelistas:
Dr. Santiago A. Alpízar
Dr. Horacio Espino Bárzaga Lic. Vladimir Nodal

17. Experiencias de cuentapropistas
Presidente: Ted Henken, Baruch College, City University of New York Yamina Vicente Prado, owner, Decorazón, an event planning company Marta Deus, founder, Deus Expertos Contables and Negolution Magazine TBA
Julio Cesar Fariñas Pérez, Instituto Cubano de Economía Aplicada para una Transición Democrática, "Potencialidades para el desarrollo en Cuba de la actividad económica privada juvenil de alto nivel profesional"
Comentarista: Maria Werlau, Archivo Cuba