The first three weeks of this project was a detailed literature review. All the works that I used are detailed in my annotated bibliography under Project. This literature review took three weeks because originally, my plan was to conduct a holistic diagnosis for the entirety of the Cuban economy. As I read more about the Cuban economy, I began to see that it was too complex, and too intricate, to conduct holistic and far-reaching diagnosis of its economy. Through the literature review, I became invested in Cuba's future, rather than just diagnosing its future as an academic pursuit. My research became my passion, and to conduct a cold diagnosis of the economy would be an injustice to the intricacies of the Cuban economy. I began asking big questions about economics and development in general. Most importantly, my literature review raised the question: can an economy develop under the core values of social equity? Cuba could be an excellent example of such a model for other developing nations. It would be revolutionary. It is that question that my research through Summer Scholars, and any research I perform after, will seek to answer. The challenge - but also the most exciting part - of this project was being able to sit in the messiness of it all. Full-time research allowed me to ask question on top of question, without a deadline hanging over driving me to an unsatisfying conclusion. 

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 I decided to look into the non-state sector, which has been growing after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s main trading partner for nearly 40 years. After the initial literature review, I began collecting data on the non-state sector industries. I also combed through legislation that the Communist Party or its branches have passed regarding self-employment, monetary policy, or any other policy that may influence the non-state sector. I had originally thought that my data would be sufficient; once again no amount of research was sufficient. One of the challenges of this project was deciding on tasks to accomplish. Once I collected data, for example, I began putting together the skeleton of a paper and realized there was still information I was lacking, like a solid foundation of the Cuban tax code. As a person who likes making lists and completing specific tasks, and struggles with large, open-ended questions, this was both a frustrating, but rewarding, part of the process. 

 

 I am now in the final portion of my project, which is putting together a policy paper. The paper has a number of components, including an analysis of Cuba’s economic history, which is vital to understanding its economic future. Even though I have completed the literature review and data search, as I begin to write, I find that there are some gaps that I must fill by either referring back to texts, or even looking for new information I did not find in text or in the data I previously collected. I did not expect to spend almost a month doing a literature review, but I wanted to ensure that I understood Cuba well enough to begin writing any policy recommendations. I now have an affinity for Cuba, its people, and its brave experiment in socialism that few think is sustainable. I have hope for Cuba's future, and my policy recommendations will reflect that. 

 

The literature review gave me a solid foundation to narrow the topic of my research and narrowed the pool of data I needed to pull from. I will continue working on this project from my home in New Jersey throughout August, but also continue to work on it throughout my last two years at Ithaca College. This project is meant to serve as a foundation for my senior thesis as well.