The Odd Couple

Abstract

This chapter on “The Odd Couple: ‘Incomplete Socialism’ and Social Enterprises in Cuba,” uses an incomplete socialism and social enterprise framework to examine the impact of the 2011 Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the VI Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba on Cuban society. It posits that market elements will exist in socialist societies throughout the age of capitalism, but that these market forces can be harnessed and used to produce desirable social outcomes. The 2011 Guidelines produced market forces and social policies that weakened egalitarianism in Cuba, triggered increments in racism, and increased hardship among Afro-Cubans, but they did not spark capitalist restoration. Cuba kept its eyes on the prize of social and human development and made improvements in these areas despite economic challenges. The conclusion is that market reforms will not necessarily generate capitalist restoration because they can be used to complement socialist construction by generating positive social outcomes.