Cuba in Transition: Analyzing Political, Economic, and Social Changes

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the ongoing transition in Cuba, examining the significant political, economic, and social changes taking place. The report begins by exploring the political landscape, including the shift from a dictatorship to a more democratic system, the introduction of electoral reforms, and the impact of the departure of Fidel Castro. It delves into the economic reforms, such as the allowance of small businesses and changes in economic policies. Furthermore, the report assesses the demographic shifts and social changes, including healthcare, education, and the evolving role of the communist party. The report also examines the impact and implications of annual major sports events. The methodology used is interpretivism, collecting qualitative data from primary and secondary sources. The report concludes by highlighting the need for economic stability, improvements in healthcare and education, and the importance of strong leadership. The report also touches upon the impact of sports events on the economy and society of Cuba. The report provides a detailed overview of the current state of Cuba and offers recommendations for future development, emphasizing the need for economic growth, social progress, and political stability.

Critical Theory

Table of Contents
TITLE: Cuba in Transition..............................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
METHODS......................................................................................................................................3
RESULTS........................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................4
TITLE: “Impact and implications of annual major sport event”.....................................................4
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
METHODS......................................................................................................................................7
RESULTS........................................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
RECOMMENDATION...................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

TITLE: Cuba in Transition
INTRODUCTION
Research is a term which is used multiple times in our day to day life. The word generally
means to gather additional Information on the particular area of study (Hingtgen and et al.,
2015). This assignment aims to gather information on the Transition which is taking place in
Cuba. It is an island country located near United States of America. It is one of the largest island
country existing at present. This assignment critically analyse the present circumstances in Cuba
which will be carried out with application of different philosophies and methodologies. A
methodology could be formed by combining philosophical alignment along with suitable tools so
that right results could be identified (Botterill and Platenkamp, 2012). The insights which are
added to the research are taken upon experiences and data collected through internet and
scholarly sources. The applied axiology is further makes sure that information which has been
attained is already in action.
TASK 1
According to López,“Cuba is one of the latest organisation to deal with a major
restructuring. The transition at present is taking place in a ll the sectors i.e. political, economic,
legal and social domains of the country. Departure of Fidel Castro has become a sunlight for the
Cuban nation. This island country no more operates under the dominance and control of the
family that ruled over more than 60 years. Democracy have been incorporated in to the country's
legislation which was missing. The Cubans for the coming month will cast vote to select their
leader at municipal levels. The government has allowed participation of candidates to contest
elections and to fight against incumbents. The Successor Castro will be selected by the people
rather than opting for nepotism. The working of the government have always been kept secret
and people of the country never came across any activities of the institution.
Mason and Whitehead, (2012) stated that It can be identified that Cuba has been
approaching to a cross roads. This end of era arises need for this island nations to form numerous
decisions and choices. This nations have been relied upon Marxist philosophies and colonial
tradition. The nations is being encountered with contradictory approaches as socialist
approaches which are considered is not helping economy of a country to expand. The heavy
reliance on socialist transition which seems like outdated concept and have emerged to be a
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debatable concept (Fernández Ríos, 2014). The revolution in Cuba demands reliance on features
such as capitalism so that decent livelihood could be offered to Cubans.
It is not only political sector which is being “reformed”, as the economic sector of the
country is also facing an increase in the movements as well. The reforms in the political sector
have also impacted economic nature of the company. Cuban government have permitted running
of small businesses enterprises in the country which was exempted earlier. The acting president
have refused to take assistance from U.S. In this transition. The efforts are directed to boost the
economy of the country so that it promotes inclusive economic development of citizens
(Borowy, 2013). Changes in the country are mentioned to be as “sin prisas, pero sin pausas”
which means changes are introduced gradually and effectively. The citizens have accepted
revolution with open arms but there is still needs for development of amenities of basic services
such as Healthcare, education and security. The number of small businesses in the county stands
at 489,000 which is mere 9.6% of total employable people. Due to such reasons communist party
of Cuba is dying a slow death and people doesn't care any more about them.
Demographic of the country have also experienced a reformation. Demography is defined
to study the size and population of a country. The transition in the demographics is recorded in
census and are categorised onto various Demographic Transition Stages. The Cuban population
stands at Four stage in of this transition in which there is an increase in birth rate over death rate.
It is known as a stable phase where birth and death rate are low. The demographic rate of the
country stands positive as it have experienced decline in death rate due to provision of basic
healthcare facilities and most importantly there is a decline in birth rate as there is better
awareness among people supported by availability contraception and work opportunities for
women in the country (Ritter and Henken, 2015).
The social phase of the country is experiencing a change since 1959. the adoption of
socialist approach aims to introduce changes in the society of a country. The first phase began in
1959 which focused on imparting equality and socialist approach in terms of society. The recent
phase began in 1990 which promoted amalgamation of employment and social assistance to the
society (Cuba begins the transition to a post-Castro era, 2017). The efforts were adopted to
revolutionise healthcare facilities by insertion of technology. Higher education was another
sector which was emphasized and programs are developed to enhance social awareness among
people.
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According to the study of O'Sullivan, “The phase of transition for the country
experiencing a decline in the employment rate of the country. The efforts of the country are
aimed to develop a climate in which citizens are aimed to take up entrepreneurial ventures to
boost the economic position of the country. The egalitarianism approach is adopted by the
organisation which aims to install equality among residents of the country. American have been
concerned about the transition which is about to take place in Cuba as it carries a direct influence
on the national interest of the US. Out of all the mentioned domains, economic sector of the
country have experienced the most reformation”.
The overview of economic condition of the country states that mostly all the companies
operating in the nation are held and managed by the government (Wright, 2012). This sector
employs around 76% of the workforce of the country. The rule of Castro's ensured that not a
single decision is taken without their consent. The dictatorship provided them with immense
power to run a country. His contribution to the country is still debatable as some people say that
he led to economic crises in the country and some say that he kept millionaires of US under
control. The reforms of 2011 were a turning point for the economy of this nation where a new
economic system was created and named as 'New Cuban Economy'. People were given
opportunities to become entrepreneurs and can start their own ventures reducing reliance on
public sector enterprises. Use and purchasing of mobile phones and computers were legalised as
well. The energy production, agriculture and tourism all have been taken into consideration and
reformed so that position of the country can be strengthened (Gabriele, 2011).
METHODS
Methods which is to be adopted in this approach is Interpretivism as it help in collecting
information which assist a researcher in carrying out further study. The data collected will be
done on qualitative aspects. As it helps in identifying quality of the data collected and is termed
as more reliable as it helpful in further conducting the study. The primary and secondary sources
of collecting information both are adopted in this research. The employment of both sources
equips a researcher with the better information which is helpful in conducting the study
effectively. Experimentation and observation techniques both comes under category of primary
methods of data collections.
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RESULTS
The phase of transition adopted by the communist party since 2008 has been showing
results in the economy. The progress in the company can be determined through the visibility of
small entrepreneurial ventures around the country. The data collected from various people stated
that extent of freedom have also been expanded and they now feel free to use various internet
and networking platforms. There is certain level of freedom provided to people in investing their
funds and decision making. There have been various structural reforms introduced but are still
not implemented.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that transition of Cuba aims to identify the
various sector which have on the reception of changes. The country is going to change its
political scenario from Dictatorship to democratic front. The absence of ideal leadership is
visible in the present scenario as the phase of transition is disruptive the functioning of a country.
The debt on the economy of the Cuba enforces them to adopt practices which are widely
acceptable and applicable. The change on economic grounds should be accompanied by social
and political stability. The current poor state of the people should be dealt with effectively.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The country is looking for an economic boom through permitting people to start-up their
own ventures. Achievement of this transition is impossible without strengthening roots of the
country. Healthcare facilities in the country are improving but that is confined to a certain limit.
The education and social standards of people are very low. They did not have access to any
technology before 2008 which states that they are pretty backward when it comes to starting up
their own ventures. The crime-terror in the country is cherry on the top. The above mentioned
features makes sure that country does not move ahead from its location. The needs of an ideal
leader for Cuba is a must. The health and education standards needs to be looked upon so that
this nation can grow economically and is able to pay of the debt itself.
TITLE: “Impact and implications of annual major sport event”
INTRODUCTION
Cuba carries a long history in sports started in 1961. Cuban carries a wider reliance on
the North American sports. The popular sports in the country are volleyball, basketball and
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boxing. The organising of sport event carries a big impact in the sectors of economic and social
domain of the society (Ramchandani and Coleman, 2012). The communist party of the country
have designed various events which promotes sports in the country as it is believed to be basic
right of people. The post- revolutionary era experienced a rise in sports played in the country
which will be analysed through view point of numerous authors and scholars. The philosophical
aspect aims to consider factors which are present at this point of time along with features which
have marked their presence eternally. The qualitative information which has been collected deals
with an realist nature. The reason for which philosophical alignment is taken into consider is that
researcher is making efforts so that there is an maximum interaction among ontology,
epistemology and axiological positions (Payne and et. al., 2014).
TASK 2
The country has been active in the sports and Fidel Castro post revolution ensured that
sports are being played by everyone irrespective of the economic status. Sports are considered
essential by the president and result of hard work and dedication. The scenario have changed and
physical education and exercise are now termed as must and conducted on a child since age of 45
days (Can Cuban science go global?. 2016). The government have created INDER (Institute of
sport, physical education and recreation) to look after the sports and recreation needs of people
around the country. Boxing is very popular in the country and have achieved significantly on
various international stages such as Olympics and global events. The policies were designed to
provide incentives to people who were good at professional sports. The baseball is recognised as
the official sport in the country.
Hosting major sports events carries a significant impact on the economy and society of
the country. Organising sporting events in the country plays a major role in economy and
impacts the same in significant manner (Chen, 2011). Where which organised on annual basis
such as boxing,baseball and cricket events have been categorised as major sporting event. There
is rise in number of people who are willing to host various events in their country. The benefits
of organising such event in a country can be divided on the basis of short and long term. The first
crucial factor which is to be determined before launching an event is that it involves humongous
amount of finances to develop stadium, infrastructure and event hosting platforms. The security
aspects of the country which is most vulnerable point must be undertaken. Cuba is known for its
terrorism and government must take measures to reduce the same.
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The positive impacts of hosting a major sport event is that it invites broadcaster and
sponsorship funds to the country along with financial investors to the country. Cuba is sports
friendly nation therefore more people will be enthusiasts to watch and supports such major event.
It involves development and beautification of surrounding of the local areas of country for the
event. There will be an improvement in technology and communication grounds. The amount of
employment will be enhanced and standard of living of people will see a growth. One such
example is Barcelona organising Olympics saw a decline of 7% of unemployment in the country.
Tourism in the country will see a rise as sports enthusiast from around the world will visit the
nation to experience this event (Kaplanidou and et al., 2013). This will enhance total tourism
product which undertakes airline, hospitality and accommodation industries of a nation. This
will ensure development of the these mentioned industries. When a traveller visits the country he
brings finances which is crucial in maintaining stability in an country. However there carries a
negative impact on the country as well. The funds of the government which are to spent on the
welfare of the people are diverted to building infrastructure for the event which are event.
Inflation can be experienced in the market which can contribute in making life of people
miserable in the country.
According to Richards, “The organising of sports events not only carries an impact on
economic condition but influences society of country as well. After hosting a event the
perception of people regarding a certain country will change. This can help achieve a parity to
certain extent”. The people in the society can now face its alarming issues such as crime, poverty
and unemployment. Hosting of a major sporting event provides opportunity to people to change
the way in which they behave and adopt 'new behaviour' (Mair and Whitford, 2013). People in
the nation come together and forget their individual differences to support their nations.
The Cuban sports system emphasises on egalitarianism concept and have been popular
since decades. Baseball and boxing have emerged to be two major sports which were sources of
cost effective entertainment. But at international level presence of the country identified to be
non-existent (Artaraz, 2012). The players from Cuba were discriminated on social and economic
grounds and were mostly under developed. Prior to the revolution, Cuban started experiencing
success and emerged to be amongst top 10 medal holders in the Olympics. The increased level of
participation along with technical support assured that this nation uplifts their performances at
major sports events.
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The news published by the Cuban daily hinted on the fact that Olympics 2032 can be
organised in Havana and Miami. The selection committee has emphasized on diversity and
sustainability in its operations. This nation will require major gentrification of of its stadiums and
infrastructure to host such a major event (Saayman and Saayman, 2012). It is believed that
organising such events will increase the potential of the country to generate profits. The
Caribbean country will receive its first opportunity to host such major sporting event in the
country which will carry a significant impact on the economy and society of a nation.
METHODS
Interpretivism approach is utilised to conduct this research. It ensures that various
elements of the study are taken into consideration. Interviews and observation are used as a
major tool to collect information. The quantitative aspects of the study are taken into
consideration. The efforts of this approach is to understand the impact and implication of
organising a major social event in the country. The efforts of this approach is to understand the
specific and unique feature of this study. The relation shared with the subject is interactive so
that more and more information can be obtained. The descriptive approaches are used to conduct
researches so that in-depth understanding can be developed.
RESULTS
It can be ascertained from the data analysed is that hosting a annual sporting event is
beneficial for economic growth of the country. It is essential for a nation as it helpful in
providing financial stability to the people who are concerned with the event. There will be a rise
in the opportunities along with entertainment of people around the country. However the another
aspect which arises from same is that other areas which requires funding of the government are
overlooked. The President can take up measures which promotes rise in the standard and quality
of living of people. Government can use this expenditure in providing adequate healthcare and
education facilities to people so that they are knowledgeable enough to take up entrepreneurial
ventures to have a better life.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that sporting events around the globe have
received immense popularity therefore more and more nations participate to organise major
sporting events in their country. There have been such events which have received niche of
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major sporting events such as World Cups and other global events. It is no easy to host such an
event as it requires tremendous amount of finance and preparation to execute the same. This have
emerged as a vital reason because of which most developing nation does not sign up for this.
There can be seen positive and negative impacts of such events on the economy of a nation.
These events are often measured on the economic basis as other social and cultural aspects are
ignored. There is a need to critically analyse the present circumstances of the country as it may
not have desired outcomes. Cuba is bidding for a major event in near future with the hope that it
will change the fortune of the country. Tourism is another domain which will be significantly
benefited by this event. It is very necessary to entertain tourist in a country as they bring huge
amount of financial resources which will carry a positive impact on the nation. It is one crucial
sector which can promote the country's cultural and social heritage at the same time providing
employment to people of country.
RECOMMENDATION
Before hosting such a mega event it is necessary for an economy to plan effectively the
infrastructural requirement of the company. This is done so that infrastructure that is being
developed during the event can be used for various other purposed as well. Promoting the vision
of legacy rather than viewing it as a short term economic benefit for the country. A well
developed plan will help in overcoming the major issues but it does not act as a cure for all the
issues of crime and terrorism in the country. It is necessary for people to garner support of people
before hosting such a major event. The prime stakeholders of this sector such as government,
businesses, local people and organisations and project people have to ensure chances of success.
Cuba is still relying on the dictatorship of Raul Castro which means they necessarily does not
need to have support from other parties which are suppressed time and again. The change in
political scenario of the nation will help in formation of people oriented leadership. It is
necessary to design policies and programmes which provides financial stability and sustainability
to these events irrespective of the person with authority.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
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López, K., 2013. Chinese Cubans: a transnational history. UNC Press Books.
Borowy, I., 2013. Degrowth and public health in Cuba: lessons from the past?. Journal of
Cleaner Production. 38, pp.17-26.
Ritter, A.R. and Henken, T., 2015. Entrepreneurial Cuba: The changing policy landscape.
FirstForumPress, a division of Lynne Rienner Publishers, Incorporated.
O'Sullivan, M., 2012. The economic reforms in Cuba: Strengthening the country's essential
socialist character or a transition to capitalism? The impact on educated youth.
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Wright, J., 2012. Sustainable agriculture and food security in an era of oil scarcity: lessons from
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Gabriele, A., 2011. Cuba: from state socialism to a new form of market socialism?. Comparative
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Ramchandani, G. M. and Coleman, R. J., 2012. The inspirational effects of three major sport
events. International Journal of Event and Festival Management. 3(3), pp.257-271.
Chen, S.C., 2011, April. Residents’ perceptions of the impact of major annual tourism events in
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Richards, G., 2013. Exploring the social impacts of events. Routledge.
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Mair, J. and Whitford, M., 2013. An exploration of events research: event topics, themes and
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30.
Botterill, D. and Platenkamp, V., 2012. Key concepts in tourism research. Sage.
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Payne, G and et. al., 2014. Sociology and Social Research (RLE Social Theory) (Vol. 74).
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Artaraz, K., 2012. Cuba's Internationalism Revisited: Exporting Literacy, ALBA, and a New
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Cuba begins the transition to a post-Castro era. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-cuba-transition-20170904-story.html>.
Can Cuban science go global?. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.nature.com/news/can-cuban-science-go-global-1.20694>.
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