The views of Cuban social scientists about the flaws and aspirations of the national economy are generally not well known. This edited volume is a useful guide to the perspectives of a network of Cuban academics and policy makers about how to animate what they describe as a stagnant economic system. Nineteen essays describe why, even with the limitations imposed by the United States embargo, the Cuban economy needs structural, legal, and cultural changes. The general approach proposed is to enhance social responsibility and solidarity through the greater involvement of workers and, where appropriate, community members in economic planning. Some writers advocate for the expansion of cooperative enterprises that exist outside the private and state sectors, along with other strategies such as community-based budgeting and cross-sector partnerships. [The] volume is worth reading by anyone interested in socialist economic development; the challenges of moving past the bureaucratic, top-down limitations and inefficiencies of state enterprises; and expanding private enterprise to draw workers and community members into economic decision-making. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.

Choice Reviews

This book is an important contribution to the global project to humanize the economy. The Cuban socialist context gives a new opportunity to market socialist ideals established through economic democracy. Importantly, it also enriches conversations contributing to the radical imagination required for transformation into a sustainable society.

Sonja Novkovic, Saint Mary's University

This exciting collection of articles examines aspects of Cuban development through the lens of a social and solidarity economy, demonstrating its transversality and potential for transformation toward a more egalitarian, sustainable, and environmentally conscious society. Social and Solidarity Economy in Cuba is an obligatory reference point for Cubans and non-Cubans alike to reflect on the past, present, and future of Cuba in a geo-global perspective.

Leandro Morais, São Paulo State University

Social and Solidarity Economy in Cuba: Foundations and Practices for Socialist Development is a broad and rich collection of essays which argues, both theoretically and with concrete examples, that contrary to being ‘anti-socialist,’ many of the participatory mechanisms and procedures of the social and solidarity economy are exactly what Cuba needs to use more extensively today to achieve its 63-year declared goal of building a socialism as it was understood in the 18th century—not only for all of society, but also by all of society.

Al Campbell, professor emeritus, University of Utah; Co-editor of the International Journal of Cuban Studies