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Unofficial English Translation

He Qin: Updating the Cuban Socialist Model: A Path Toward Prosperous, Democratic, and Sustainable Development

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He Qin, Updating the Cuban Socialist Model: A Path Toward Prosperous, Democratic, and Sustainable Development, Social Sciences Academic Press, June 2024. * This book is the concluding result of the National Social Science Fund of China general project "Research on the Updating of the Cuban Socialist Economic Model" (15BKS067).

Abstract Since the beginning of the 21st century, having withstood the historical trials following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe [1], Cuban socialism has entered a new historical stage of independently exploring the "updating" (actualización) of its socialist model. Since the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in 2011, the updating of the socio-economic model has progressed steadily. The Eighth Congress of the PCC, convened in 2021, conducted in-depth discussions and comprehensive deployments centered on the "period-specific tasks and problems of the model's updating," while realizing the intergenerational transition of the PCC Central Committee's leadership collective. Despite facing numerous trials, the new generation of leaders—the "children of the Revolution" centered around Miguel Díaz-Canel—will inherit the Cuban revolutionary tradition. They seek development through updating, preserve stability through development, and plan for the future through stability, unswervingly struggling and forging ahead [2] to build a prosperous, democratic, and sustainable Cuban socialism.

By retracing the historical trajectory of the Cuban model’s updating, this book systematically discusses the top-level design and institutional construction of the process. It also conducts specialized research on issues such as Cuban housing, population aging, and environmental governance. The book argues that as a multi-dimensional, enduring, and systematic project of social renovation, the updating of the model is a choice of the times made by Cuba to respond to the challenges of economic globalization. It marks a new historical stage in the self-perfection of the Cuban socialist system. The historical experience of Cuba's model updating suggests that for socialist countries in the era of globalization, only by rooting themselves in their national conditions—through principled, incremental reform and peaceful development with "bottom-line" constraints—and by continuously exploring socialist models that align with the fundamental interests of their people, can they maximize the institutional advantages of socialism to achieve national prosperity and people's happiness.

About the Author He Qin is the Director and Research Fellow of the Department of Contemporary World Socialism at the Institute of Marxism Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He serves as a Master's supervisor at the School of Marxism, University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. His primary research interests include world socialist trends of thought, movements, and systems. He is the author of the monographs Persistence and Renewal: Cuban Socialism after the Drastic Changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and Alternative Integration Movements in Latin America, along with seven co-authored works. He has published over 40 academic papers, including "On the Contemporary Requirements and Essential Characteristics of Socialist Modernization," "The Essence and Value of Fidel Castro's Thought," and "Experiences and Inspirations from Cuba's Response to Population Aging." He has presided over two National Social Science Fund projects (Key and General) and participated in over ten projects, including Major National Social Science Fund projects and CASS Innovation Program projects. His primary achievements have won the CASS Award for Excellent Information Policy Research, the Institute of Marxism Studies Excellence Award, the University of CASS Research Achievement Award, and multiple second and third prizes for excellent papers from various professional academic societies. He has been a visiting scholar in the United States and has conducted academic exchanges and visits to more than ten countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.

Table of Contents

Introduction

  1. Research Background and Significance
  2. Literature Review of Research on the Updating of the Cuban Model
  3. Main Content of the Book

Chapter 1: The Historical Starting Point of the Model's Updating Section 1: Establishment and Development of the Socialist System

  1. Victory and Consolidation of the National Democratic Revolution
  2. Opening and Upholding the Socialist Path Section 2: Crisis and Adjustment after the Drastic Changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
  3. The Party Congress Establishes the Contingency Adjustment Strategy for the "Special Period" [3]
  4. The Difficult Recovery of the National Economy
  5. Continuous Expansion of Diversified Diplomacy

Chapter 2: The Political Foundation of the Model's Updating Section 1: Party Leadership and the Development of Democratic Politics

  1. The Communist Party of Cuba Strengthens Party Leadership and Building
  2. The Process and Characteristics of Cuba's Democratic Political Construction Section 2: Constitutional Revision and the Updating of the Political System
  3. Constitutional Revision Provides Safeguards for the Updating of the Socialist Model
  4. Political Leadership and the Updating of the Administrative System

Chapter 3: The Agenda and Outline of the Model's Updating Section 1: The Agenda and Stages of the Model's Updating

  1. The Sixth Congress of the PCC and the Launch of the Model's Updating
  2. The Seventh Congress of the PCC and the Advancement of the Model's Updating
  3. The Eighth Congress of the PCC and the Deepening of the Model's Updating Section 2: Goals and Principles of the Model's Updating
  4. Strengthening Education and Stabilizing Employment as the Social Foundation for Progress
  5. Improving Income Distribution and Social Security as Inherent Requirements for Deepening the Update
  6. Balancing Efficiency and Equity as an Important Principle of the Model's Updating

Chapter 4: Layout and Critical Challenges of the Economic Model's Updating Section 1: Dominance and Evolution of the Planned Economic System

  1. Development and Updating of the Cuban Planned Economic System
  2. Adjustment and Perfection of Cuban Socialist Ownership Section 2: Adjustment and Updating of Macroeconomic Policies
  3. The Macroeconomic Situation in the Context of the Model's Updating
  4. Adjustment and Evaluation of Macroeconomic Policies Section 3: Restructuring and Innovation in Strategic Economic Sectors
  5. Exploration of Food and Agricultural Security and Sustainable Agriculture
  6. Energy Shortages and the Development of Green Energy Alternatives
  7. Restructuring and Updating the Tourism Industry
  8. Development and Innovation of the Knowledge Economy

Chapter 5: Ideological and Cultural Construction and Strengthening the Nation through Science and Education Section 1: Ideological-Theoretical and Ideological Construction

  1. Development and Innovation of Localized Marxist Theory
  2. Ideological Warfare and Ideological Construction
  3. Cyber-Ideological Warfare and the Quelling of the July 11 Counter-Revolutionary Rebellion [4] Section 2: Cultural Institutional Construction and Strengthening the Nation through Science and Education
  4. Cultural Institutional Construction and Achievements in Cultural Development
  5. Implementation and Impact of the Strategy of Strengthening the Nation through Science and Education

Chapter 6: People's Livelihood Guarantees and Social Governance Section 1: Origins of and Countermeasures for the Housing Problem

  1. The Housing Problem in Pre-Revolutionary Cuba
  2. Historical Evolution of Cuban Housing Policy after the Victory of the Revolution
  3. Cuban Housing Practice: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
  4. Current Status and Challenges of the Cuban Housing Problem Section 2: Responding to the Problem of Population Aging
  5. Basic Trends and Characteristics of Cuban Population Development after the Revolution
  6. The Problem of Population Aging in the Context of the Model's Updating
  7. Cuba's Measures for Responding to Population Aging
  8. Inspirations from the Cuban Experience for Developing Countries Section 3: Institutionalized Exploration of Environmental Governance
  9. Establishment and Evolution of Cuba's Sustainable Development Strategy
  10. The Framework and Basic Experience of Cuban Sustainable Development Section 4: Epidemic Prevention and Control and Public Crisis Management
  11. Party Leadership and National Unity as the Source of Strength in Cuba’s Anti-Epidemic Struggle
  12. People-Centered Institutional Construction as the Secret to Victory in Cuba’s Fight against the Pandemic
  13. Economic Updating and Livelihood Guarantees in the Context of the Pandemic

Chapter 7: Adjustment and Expansion of Foreign Relations Section 1: Expansion and Breakthroughs in Diversified Diplomacy

  1. Strategic Characteristics of Cuba's Island-Nation Diplomacy
  2. Adjustment and Breakthroughs in Cuba's Foreign Relations since the Model's Updating
  3. Foreign Aid and International Influence under the COVID-19 Pandemic Section 2: Evolution and Impact of Cuba-U.S. Relations
  4. The Serious Regression in Cuba-U.S. Relations
  5. Cuba Faces the Double-Edged Sword Effect of the Resumption of Diplomatic Ties

Chapter 8: Historical Significance and Prospects of the Model's Updating Section 1: Basic Experience and Significance of the Model's Updating

  1. Basic Experience of the Model's Updating
  2. Historical Significance of the Model's Updating Section 2: Challenges and Prospects Facing the Model's Updating
  3. Challenges and Prospects for Political System Updating
  4. Challenges and Prospects for Economic Model Updating
  5. Challenges and Prospects for Social Construction Updating
  6. Challenges and Prospects for Foreign Relations Updating

Conclusion: Cuba's Model Updating Toward Prosperity, Democracy, and Sustainability—Simultaneously Discussing Socialist Reform in the Era of Globalization

Bibliography Postscript