Why Cuba? ​

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As an International Politics and Economics double major, I am interested in the intersection of politics, economics, and society. When I began my double major in economics, I was introduced to the idea of economic freedom, which is deeply linked to, and just as important as, political freedom. Since then, I wanted to pursue questions of how economic and political freedom are linked, and how to advance both for real people.  

 

In asking these questions, communist and socialist societies became of particular interest to me, especially those under non-democratic regimes. Further, as an advanced Spanish speaker, I had always been interested in the politics of various countries in the Spanish-speaking world. 

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Cuba merges all my interests. It is a quasi-democratic, socialist, Spanish-speaking country that has a rich political and economic history. Cuba is an incredibly interesting case of a country learning to develop on its own terms. Despite pressures to liberalize and open its economy, it remains committed to socialist principles. Cuba has the potential to provide an incredible model of development based on equity and social justice. 

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What I Learned: ​

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During the academic year, it is difficult to balance a heavy course load, extra-curricular activities, and explore academic interests in the amount of detail I have been able to over the summer. Engaging in a full immersive project allowed me to mull in questions, rather than rushing to answers. I was able to sit in the messiness of it all; I was able to discover, ponder, and address the intricacies of economic policy and development. I got to challenge my own assumptions about socialism, communism, and capitalism. Instead of rushing to market reforms and traditional economic policy recommendations, I shaped my thinking to develop policy recommendations specific for the health of the Cuban people. 

 

I was able to set the foundations for another two years of devotion to this scholarly work. I will be pursuing my research through an independent study course for the Fall 2018 semester. I am excited to use my knowledge to complete a policy paper.  This foundation will provide a solid framework for future research, including my senior thesis in economics.

 

I also discovered through this process, that there is a whole field of developmental economics, which I hope to pursue after graduating from Ithaca College. 

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This opportunity also taught me much about myself. In high school, I was able to work for hours and hours at a time, grinding away at work with little to no breaks. That remained true for the majority of my first two years of college, but doing research taught me that sometimes taking breaks is necessary. Taking breaks also allows for my brain to process new information. During the school year, I would often be frustrated y my own inability to internalize information or understand concepts, and much of that was because I insisted on doing work straight through, rather than allowing myself breaks. 

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Some Challenges: 

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One of the challenges of this experience was quantifying my own work. Unlike my STEM counterparts in the program, my tasks were not rigidly delineated or checked on by a faculty mentor. My work was very much my own, but because I was allowed to mull in the messiness of the central question I was asking, it often felt as if I wasn't doing valuable work. I had expected, before starting the program, to have had a completed policy paper by the end of my eight weeks. Not having the paper completed, and not having a completed artifact, was difficult to cope with. I enjoy deadlines and structure, and while the freedom from structure was helpful in allowing me to challenge my own views on economic development and theory, it was also difficult for me to feel accomplished in any way. However, as my mentor reminded me, the knowledge I have gained is invaluable. The questions I am able to ask are not a mark of lack of understanding, but rather a deep place knowledge. 

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Another challenge I often faced was self-doubt. After a difficult semester, I was faced with a deep case of imposter syndrome, wondering if I was bright enough, or prepared enough, to handle full-time research. Sometimes it felt as though my project was going astray, especially in the runt of the literature review portion of my project. I learned, however, that the work I was conducting was part of a larger goal to get published and pursue a career in the realm of economics. It is a slow process, and I had to be comfortable with that pace. 

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