Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Speaking of the retail sector...

As discussed here and here, the Cuban government’s action regarding barber shops and beauty shops begins to address problems that had been identified long ago in the retail and service sectors. (This post notes some of the discussion of the issue in letters to the editor.) The sector’s problems were described at length in a three-part series that appeared in late 2006 in Juventud Rebelde that makes for interesting reading. I don’t have the links to the original articles, but the texts of all three are pasted here (pdf).

The articles aren’t a statement of government policy by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m sure they must be a political benchmark for Cubans who read them – and who would naturally ask how far reforms will go, and whether the solutions will be in proportion to the problems described in the state media.

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