중남미

As Raúl Castro steps down from the Cuban presidency in April 2018, many Cubans are more interested in the country’s future economic performance than in the retelling of heroic histories. During the decade of Castro’s administration, Cuba’s macroeconomic performance has been deeply disappointing—but this malaise obscures the emergence of a more complex, diversified economy. The private economy has taken off, providing jobs and income to as many as four out of 10 Cubans of working age. Qualitatively, the private economy has advanced from fragile microenterprises to more ample small-scale businesses engaged in substantial capital accumulation. Furthermore, international tourism, with the active cooperation of global partners, is another bright feature.