Announcing Publication of "Paths for Cuba: Reforming Communism in Comparative Perspective" (Scott Morgenstern, Jorge Pérez-López, and Jerome Branche, eds.)

I am delighted to announce the publication of Paths for Cuba: Reforming Communism in Comparative Perspective (Scott Morgenstern, Jorge Pérez-López, and Jerome Branche, eds., University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018) (408 Pages, 6 x 9 in.; January, 2019; isbn : 9780822965497).

Here is the official blurb from the backmatter:

The Cuban model of communism has been an inspiration—from both a positive and negative perspective—for social movements, political leaders, and cultural expressionists around the world. With changes in leadership, the pace of change has accelerated following decades of economic struggles. The death of Fidel Castro and the reduced role of Raúl Castro seem likely to create further changes, though what these changes look like is still unknown. For now, Cuba is opening in important ways. Cubans can establish businesses, travel abroad, access the internet, and make private purchases. Paths for Cuba examines Cuba’s internal reforms and external influences within a comparative framework. The collection includes an interdisciplinary group of scholars from around the world to explore reforms away from communism.

The book is valuable for anyone interested in  understanding the power, triumphs and failures of the great and unfinished ideological experiment that commenced with the flight of Fulgencio Batista from Havana on the eve of 1959.

The table of contents follows:

Paths for Cuba: Reforming Communism in Comparative Perspective

Table of Contents

Introduction

Reforming Communism: Cuba in Comparative Perspective 

Jorge Perez Lopez, Scott Morgenstern, & Jerome Branche


Section 1: Economics

1. Models of Economic Reform and Cuba's "Updating" of its Model 

Scott Morgenstern and Jorge Perez Lopez, with Kevin Morrison and Carlos Alzugaray

2. Initial Conditions and Economic Development: The East Asian "Tigers" and Cuba

 James W. McGuire

3. Foreign Investment and Economic Growth in Cuba: Lessons From China

Jorge Perez-Lopez and Yu Xiao

4. Resolving Pre-Revolutionary Property Rights 

 Matias Travieso-Diaz


Section 2: Policy and Politics

5. Socialist Social Contracts and Accountability 

 Martin Dimitrov

6. The Cuban Communist Party on the Cusp of Change

 Larry Catá Backer

7. The Prospects for Cuban Democracy in the Post-Transition Era
Aníbal Pérez-Liñán and Scott Mainwaring

8: Cuban Social Security Reforms Compared with Latin America, China And Vietnam
Carmelo Mesa-Lago

9. The Future of Cuban Social Protection System and the Cuban Mirror
Javier Vazquez-D'Elia

10: After The Fall: Postcommunist Dynamics In Central And East Europe and Their Implications For Cuba
Ron Linden 

Section 3: Citizens and Society

11. The Living Lie and the Living Eye" Cuba's Reforms and the Racial Contract
Alan West-Durán

12: From Domestic to Statist Violence: Debate and Representation in the Cuban Cultural Field
Ana Belén Martín Sevillano

13. Somos Mucho Mas: An Analysis of Cuban Hip Hop Artivism and Arts-Based Public Spheres
Tanya Saunders


Conclusion/Summary 

Comparative Lessons for “Updating” Cuban Policy: Politics, Economics, and Society
Scott Morgenstern and Ronald Linden

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