RPP 8
My goal for the small-n case study research is to explain Cuba’s growth in the global market using business opportunities for foreign investment provided the Cuba government as my dependent variable. The way I would operationalize this variable is by viewing the types of foreign investment being made in Cuba as well as any government restrictions attached. Also, I would explore the type of Cuba government documents that justify foreign investment as part of the Cuban revolution goal. I would use the different investment sectors as the cases in my research to understand how foreign investment manifests itself in different economic areas. Explore issues like if one sector has freer regulations than others and what sector the government is most interested in the flow of foreign investment.
I will use the Portfolio of Opportunities for Foreign Investment released by the Cuban government in 2014 to explore and qualify the type of investment sectors and projects offered for international investment.[1] I In the portfolio, there is a table that indicates the number of projects offered to each of the sectors along with each specific project, the investment amount and investment type.[2] This source can aid me to operationalize of my dependent variable because it defines the different sectors of the Cuban economy as defined by the Cuban government. This portfolio has some interesting statistics and incentives and strategies for bringing foreign investment in Cuba especially in the tourist and agricultural sector which I can use as my main cases. The tourist sector involves projects for foreign investment that include the building of new hotel and golf courses, projects that seem to juxtapose many of the governments revolutionary rhetoric.[3] While the agricultural sector has a number restrictions and makes it clear that a large portion of this sector will stay under government control.[4]
There are other sources that I may use to operationalize my dependent variable like the Cuban government official stance in foreign investment by analyzing national assembly’s where this topic has been discussed. I can see the statistics of the companies that invested in these projects from 2014 and if they were successful or not. I will continue to research to compile any data of the projects from the 2014 portfolio that were implemented in the island.
[1] MINCEX, “Portfolio of Opportunities for Foreign Investment,” 2014, http://www.caribbean-council.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Cuba-foreign-investment-projects-Nov-2014-official.pdf.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
RRP #7: Cuba Poll
In preparation to my Large-N-Scale design sketch, I have decided to focus my research American economic policy towards Cuba and its influence on the Cuban private market. Florida International University and their School of Public and International Affairs conduct a “Cuba Poll” every two to three years in which the University polls Cuban-Americans about topical questions about U.S.-Cuban Relations.[1] In this poll, I will focus on the on the indicator subsection researching the embargo and economic reforms. The sample size includes 1,000 randomly selected Cuban- Americans adults that reside in the Miami-Dade County, the county with the largest Cuban population in the United States.[2] This dataset would serve well in my research because it provides insight into the political shifts of Cuban Americans which would help draw correlations into U.S. policy towards Cuba.
This dataset includes results from 9 different years (2016, 2014, 2011, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2000, 1997, 1993) which vary in results and can be used to explore the sentiment of the Cuban-American population throughout different periods of time. There is already an interesting shift in Cuban-American support for U.S. continuing political dialogue between countries.[3] The data was represented through two sets of percentages, one data set which excludes all non-response and “doesn’t know” answers and one data set in which those results were included. The question on the poll is based on an Ordinal set of data using the Likert Scale method (strongly agree-strongly disagree).[4] There are several independent variables in which the data is broken down. Each result shows the age percentage, the year of the subjects left Cuba, whether they were born in Cuba, and whether they are registered to vote.[5]
From this collection of polls, I can use the results of the questions about Cuba-Americans feeling towards economic relations with Cuba and how that may correlate with U.S. economic and business policies towards Cuba. The limitations of this poll lie on the fact that it is only focused one region of the Cuban American population. This may skew the results depending on political ideologies, Miami-Dade is a historically Republican county.
[1] Guillermo Grenier and Hugh Gladwin, “FIU Cuba Poll” (FIU Steven Green School of International and Public Affairs, Varies).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
Bibliography
Grenier, Guillermo, and Hugh Gladwin. “FIU Cuba Poll.” FIU Steven Green School of International and Public Affairs, Varies.
RPP#6 Article Comparison
The economic reforms in the Cuban economy have created a newly emerging private market that seems out of place in a government that considered any types of capitalist activities to be counter-revolutionary. Scholars Richard Feinberg and Marshall Beck both have researched this phenomenon to examine the types of effect that these economic reforms have had on the Cuban society.
Marshall Beck conducts an ethnographic case study in Cuba by interviewing self-employed artisans about the types of effects the new private sector is having on peoples ideological beliefs.[1] Beck finds that the creation of a private market has a created a dissolution of socialist ideals in Cuba and has challenged the economic hegemony of the state-run market.[2] Feinberg conducts a similar research with the same approach, interviewing Cuban private business owners about their experiences being in the private market, hypothesizing that the Cuban entrepreneurs are Cuba’s new middle class.[3] Feinberg, unlike Beck, concludes that as the middle class starts overlapping with the emerging private sector, the Cuban people will push for more freedoms of information but will still believe in the Cuban government because of their educational roots.[4]
Each article has a different school of thought regarding the significance of Cuban market reforms. Beck views a growth of capitalist activities to lead to a decline of power for the Cuban Communist party, while Feinberg believes that Cuban entrepreneurs “still honor egalitarian values…and are proud of the revolution accomplishments”, pushing instead for a more open Cuba with greater access to internet and information rather than an entire demand for democratic capitalism.[5] These articles also take place during different time periods( Beck in 2001 and Feinberg in 2016), which also plays a factor into their findings.
In terms of contributions to my own research, the findings of both these articles are helpful. I think that the difference in results of these similarly approached studies could me help explore a new puzzle in the correlation between the evolution of the Cuban private market and the mentality and political ideals of Cubans.
[1] Marshall Beck, “‘Cuenta-Propismo’ and Reform in Cuba: A Case Study,” Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 26, no. 52 (2001): 179–222.
[2] Ibid, 20.
[3] Richard E. Feinberg, “Emerging Entrepreneurs and Middle Class,” in Open for Business (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 2016), 131–172.
[4] Ibid, 171.
[5] Ibid.; Beck, “‘Cuenta-Propismo’ and Reform in Cuba: A Case Study.”
Bibliography
Beck, Marshall. “‘Cuenta-Propismo’ and Reform in Cuba: A Case Study.” Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 26, no. 52 (2001): 179–222.
Feinberg, Richard E. “Emerging Entrepreneurs and Middle Class.” In Open for Business, 131–172. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 2016.
RPP #5: Research Question
For my research project, I am proposing to research the growth of the Cuban private market after the thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations. I want to find out how the Cuban economy has reformed from a socialist economy to a more global market to help my readers understand how economic reform takes place in socialist governments. This phenomenon is supported by my research by many different sources who have noticed a correlation in an uptick of private sector niches being filled in Cuba after the thawing of relations.
The Cuban private sector has existed since the early days of the Revolution. However, for many years, the private sector was discouraged and often illegal during the leadership of Fidel Castro. However, a change in language and policy came when Fidel’s brother, Raul Castro, was made a leader of Cuba. In Raul’s speech on July 26th, 2007, the acting-President at the time (Fidel issued a temporary transfer of power to his brother Raul on July 31, 2006, due to his poor health; Raul would not become the official President of Cuba until February 24, 2008) promised the introduction of “structural and conceptual changes” to the economy.[1] In the years to come, structural changes were made leading to the legalization to many private businesses. This was one of the first speeches that Raul made in which he spoke to the people of Cuba and showed that he was willing to make some differences and was willing to engage in economic reforms. I would like to use this piece to exemplify the change of mentality of the Cuban government and establish the historical background of my research topic.
In Gonzalez-Corzo and Justo article, “Private Self-Employment under Reform Socialism in Cuba”, the authors discuss the different elements and principals in which the Cuban private market can exist while the fundamental attributes of the socialist system are still present and what factors limit the growth of Cuban entrepreneurs. [2] Their main argument and conclusion are that Cuba’s private market is growing, but there are excessive prohibitions and a wide range of distortions that still affect self-employed workers and the rest of the emerging non-state sector.[3] The authors come to this conclusion through a statistical analysis of the Cuban economy since 2010 and a comparison to similar socialist economies in western Europe that went through similar economic reforms in the post-Stalin era.[4] I plan to use this Journal article to convey some of the problems that currently exist in the Cuban private market. I also plan to use this article as the starting point for research about economic reform in other socialist countries.
When President Obama visited Cuba in March 2016, he became the first U.S. President to make an official visit the island nation since Calvin Coolidge in 1924. During his visit, the President addressed the Cuban people directly in a speech that was broadcasted throughout the whole island. In Obama’s speech on March 22, 2016, in Havana, Obama addressed the Cuban governments ability to start opening their markets and highlighted a few entrepreneurs. [5] Obama made it clear that the U.S. government would back the movement for a free market in Cuba emphasizing that the main reason why the thawing of relations happened was for the Cuban and American people to exchange ideas and promote innovation and entrepreneurship in both countries.[6] I plan to use this primary source to help one of my hypothesis that one of the goals of U.S. foreign policy during the Obama administration was to reform the Cuban economy.
In Richard Feinberg’s book Open for Business, Building the New Cuban Economy the author explores the recent history of how the thawing of relations came to be and performs several case studies to better understand Cuban entrepreneurs and Cuba’s place in a global market.[7] In Chapter Six of the book; “Emerging Entrepreneurs and Middle Classes” the author makes the claim that the Cuban cuentapropistas (private business owners) are the new middle class of the Cuban society and he also concludes emerging middle classes in Cuba will soon aspire greater economic prosperity because of the new exposure to the internet and interactions with foreigners.[8] Fienberg’s book brings a different light to my research as he also discusses how Cuba does business with other free market economy countries like Mexico.
The significance of my research topic is not to create a policy recommendation, but to examine and research how and why the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba has affected the identity of the private market in Cuba. By determining the results of the thawing of relations in the economies of Cuba, policy making is made easier. U.S.-Cuban relations is especially topical at the moment since there is uncertainty as to what the new administration’s plan for Cuba is.
Two research questions I have going forward would be:
- Has the newly emerging private sector in Cuba changed the ideological mindset of the Cuban people?
- In what way has the United States economic model influenced Cuban entrepreneurs and cuentapropistas?
[1] Raul Castro. “Celebration of the 54th Anniversary of the attack on Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Garrisons.” Speech, Camagüey, Cuba. July 26, 2007.
[2] Mario Gonzalez-Corzo and Orlando Justo. “Private Self-Employment Under Reform Socialism in Cuba.” Journal of Private Enterprise 32, no. 2 (Summer, 2017): 45-82.
[3] Ibid, 78.
[4] Ibid, 62-65.
[5] Barack Obama. “Speech to the Cuban People.” Speech, Havana, Cuba. March 22, 2016.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Richard Feinberg. Open for Business, Building the New Cuban Economy. (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute Inc.)
[8] Richard Feinberg. “Emerging Entrepreneurs,” in Open for Business, Building the New Cuban Economy. (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute Inc.), 167-171.
RPP #4: Article Summary
In “A Perfect Impasse? Cuba’s Move Towards the Market and the United States Move Towards Cuba,” written by Stephen Wilkinson, the author attempts to answer the question: why has the thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations not yet had any effect on Cuba’s one-party system? Wilkerson argues that without lifting the economic sanctions on Cuba, Cuba will continue to be a one-party system. Inversely he also argues that the U.S. is not likely to end economic sanctions while Cuba is a one-party system. [1] Ultimately, he is claiming that the two countries are in an unbreakable impasse.
The author performs a historical analysis of the Cuba embargo and attempts to quantify the effectiveness of the U.S. goals by examining the Cuban economy throughout the years. He is clearly using a positivist model as he is basing his argument of GDP growth of Cuba. He also examines the goals of U.S. foreign policy by citing American legislation, and finds that U.S. foreign policies towards Cuba can be classified into two different ends: Overthrow the Government and Containment.[2] The author concludes that the Cuban economy has become more liberal through economic reforms because of the embargo, but it has not changed its one-party system because of the Castro regimes historical influence on Cuba’s government.
[1] Stephen Wilkinson. “A Perfect Impasse? Cuba’s Move Towards the Market and the United States’ Move Towards Cuba,” Economic Affairs 37, no. 1 (February 2017): 20. accessed September 26, 2017.
[2] Ibid, 28.
RPP#3: PHILOSOPHICAL WAGERS
While reading Abbotts debates on methodology, I came to understand Ontology and Methodology as two separate stages of research that together to create the foundational bedrock to how to frame and engage in your research. Ontology I found to be especially interesting and more difficult to grasp because it is a lot more theoretical and abstract then Methodology. An ontology defines one’s view on the world. After exposure to different research methods and doing research on my topic, I have developed a context-dependent ontological view, I believe that the world is socially constructed and that we define our own realities depending on personal experiences. Which eventually leads me to have an Interpretivist methodological view because of their idea that “fact acquire meaning only when it is assigned interaction and interpretation”[1]. This is a change of position from where we first read Abbotts debates to which I originally sided more with the Positivism, but after seeing how the different debates are implemented into research I have decided that interpretivism is of a bigger interest to me.
In the early stages of class, when the question of whether a researcher can be an objective observer or if it is not possible to displace our assumptions from the research was first brought up, I tried hard to believe that we can be objective observers. But, it feels impossible to me to completely ignore your biases or past experiences when doing research. As discussed during our class discussions, if you believe that we cannot separate our personal ties to the research, the best practice is to simply put it out and address it in your research. Accepting your biases and putting them out there can help your research become more well-rounded and fair. If you know that you have a specific stand about an issue and acknowledge this bias, you will more be inclined to read about the opposing argument that refutes your bias and be able to include in your research.
As far as to the question of what can and cannot be researched, I think that almost anything can be researched and studied. Whether it is something theoretical or tangible, they can be examined using the different methodological techniques. It is difficult to imagine how someone can study or measure something that cannot seem or touched or even proved to be true, it certainly was for me to believe, there are different discourse analysis that can measure these ideas. For example, in my own research. When first thinking about the hurdles I might encounter during my research, I thought that there were certain areas and angels I might not be able to touch on because of the limitations of research. But, now I have learned that research is almost limitless.
- [1] Andrew Abbott. Methods of Discovery: Heuristics for Social Sciences. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004), 43.
RPP: #2 Meeting my Mentor
I feel extremely fortunate to have Dr. Philip Brenner as my mentor for my upcoming research. I have been following some of Dr. Brenner’s work before our meeting as he is the resident Cuba expert of SIS and I have even used some of his work in past assignments. Unbeknownst to him, Dr. Brenner was also a factor in my decision to come to American University. Dr. Brenner and I had our first meeting on August 30, 2017, from 10:45 am to about 11:30 am. Right away I knew Dr. Brenner’s expertise on Cuba and its long history with the U.S. would be vital for providing guidance on my research and for introducing me to unknown aspects of my general topic.
We talked mostly about the general concept of my topic, our conversation was mostly centered around two questions: Why research Cuba and what was my goal? I explained to Dr. Brenner that my motivation on researching Cuba was due to my personal observation of how the recent thawing of US and Cuba relations have brought great hope to the people and have inspired new innovations and private businesses. I told him my goal was to use my research to bring attention to the benefits that could arise from the continuation of a better relationship between the two countries. Dr. Brenner also explained to me as to why he focuses on Cuba, which has to do with his interest in the relationship between small nations and superpowers. I felt that this conversation was also a good connection to our class discussion this week on Aristotle and his idea that every action has an end, every research has a goal.
One of the main tips that I took away from my meeting with Dr. Brenner is to always be aware of the different perspectives of actors involved in my research. I think this is especially useful for my research topic since there are so many different points of views when it comes to US-Cuba bilateral relations. A way I could learn more about the different perspectives was to be more aware of the history of my topic. Dr. Brenner was kind enough to gift me one of his books “Sad and Luminous Days.” This book talks about the Cuban Missile crisis and inability for each country to understand the other’s perspective. The main point from the reading is that the US had a lack of empathy towards Cuba during this time.
I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Brenner in order to narrow down my focus and to eventually form a puzzle for my research because as of right now he believes my interest is a bit broad. Dr. Brenner and I have planned to meet at least once a month to discuss my progress and provide guidance on where to go next. He has also offered to take me to Cuba focused events around D.C.
Blight, James G., and Philip Brenner. Sad and Luminous Days: Cuba’s Struggle with the Superpowers after the Missile Crisis. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.
Research Interest
I would like my research to be concentrated on the recent events occurring between Cuba and the United States, more specifically the growth of the Cuban private business sector because of the thawing of relations. For the last 58 years, Cuba has been under a Communist regime where all business was under central government rule. In recent years, some private business has been legalized. With the new thawing of relations between Cuba and the United States, there has been massive entrepreneurial and innovative growth.
I want to engage with the changes happening in Cuba, more specifically on how a growing volume of American exposure has changed the mentality and ideas of the Cuban population and private business owners. Has there been a change in ideology? Are Cubans genuinely happy with the changes? How is the government reacting, in terms of new laws? What are the changes? These are some of the puzzles I am interested in exploring. This research topic is significant to me because being born and raised in Cuba, has made constant visits— I have noticed a huge shift in Cuban society after the announcement of the reestablishment of relations. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to speak and engage with Cuban people, professors, and officials, and ask them about this ongoing social change. Although everyone feels differently about the change of Cuban society, they all recognize that it is undoubtedly a continuing phenomenon. My goal is to bring these feelings and ideas into the conversation and either provide new information or advance current research.
I strongly believe that this ongoing phenomenon is one of the biggest nuances in the field of International Affairs. I view this diplomatic milestone by Obama as one of the final nails in the coffin of the Cold War. This also merits substantial research because of a long history of Cuba’s fight for national sovereignty especially from the United States in terms of their imperialist history with Cuba during the era after the Spanish-American war and their economic dependency before the Cuban Revolution.