ASCE Mission Statement

The Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE) is a non-profit, non-political organization incorporated in the state of Maryland. At the time of its founding, in 1990, its most important goals were to study the elements and processes involved in the expected transition of Cuba to a free-market economy and a democratic society, as well as to promote scholarship, research, and publications on economic studies by its members. This remains its basic charter, but ASCE also pursues the study of the Cuban economy in a broad sense, with particular emphasis on the financial, economic, social, legal and environmental aspects of Cuba as it is today and its process of transition.

Affiliated with the American Economic Association and the Allied Social Sciences Association of the United States, ASCE maintains professional contacts with economists inside Cuba -- whether independent or associated with the Cuban government -- who are interested in engaging in scholarly discussion and research.

Board of Directors

A Board of Directors, elected by the membership for a two-year period, meets monthly, usually the second Tuesday. Its officers, who reside in different cities of the United States, serve in a pro-bono, voluntary capacity. Since ASCE's inception, Board positions have been occupied by individuals from academia, government service, law firms, multilateral organizations and business enterprises. (See current Board of Directors).

Activities

ASCE's activities have been traditionally financed through annual membership fees, the sale of publications and sponsorship by universities, private corporations and individual sponsors. During its first sixteenth years of existence, the Association's principal activity has been its Annual Meeting, held in Miami, Florida, each August. There, during a three-day period, scholars and professionals present papers and participate in roundtable discussions. Papers and their formal discussions, as well as roundtable summaries, are included in a volume of papers and proceedings.

Fourteen such volumes have been published, and they are widely used inside and outside of Cuba by universities, research centers, government agencies and others. Selected papers from these volumes are also available in the Annual Proceedings of the Publications section of this Web Site, which is hosted by the University of Texas at Austin's Latin American Information Center (LANIC). ASCE's site receives approximately 10,000 hits per month.

Among the wide range of topics covered in past annual meetings and volumes are: current analyses of the socio-economic and political situation in Cuba; lessons from transition economies; stabilization proposals; legal aspects of transition, such as property rights and privatization; agricultural issues, with particular emphasis on the sugar sector; labor; foreign investment; tourism; governance; social security and social safety net; the environment; balance of payments and trade policy; external debt problems; foreign assistance requirements; and a wide spectrum of issues related to monetary, fiscal and financial systems.

ASCE sponsors sessions on Cuba at the annual meetings of the American Economic Association. In addition, bi-annually, it hosts the Carlos Díaz-Alejandro lecture at a luncheon held during those meetings. This lecture was established in honor of the most distinguished Cuban-American economist of his generation, the late Carlos Diaz-Alejandro, professor at Yale, Minnesota and Columbia universities. The first Carlos Diaz-Alejandro lecture was delivered in December 1990 by Dr. Felipe Pazos. Named ASCE's ex-officio President at its founding, Dr. Pazos -- an internationally known economist influential in the study of inflation - was the first President of Cuba's National Bank. Subsequently, distinguished economists and professors Guillermo Calvo, Ronald Findlay, Anne Krueger, Jagdish Bhagwati, and José Antonio Ocampo have delivered this address. The latest lecture was held on March 7, 2005 at the Inter-American Development Bank, with José Antonio Ocampo, UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs as the main speaker.

For a number of years, ASCE has sponsored a prize, consisting of a small stipend, for the best undergraduate or graduate paper on Cuban economic issues. (see ASCE´s student awards).. This year we are presenting four awards: two for the best undergraduate papers and another two for the best graduate student papers. Presently, ASCE is also broadening efforts to improve the quality and scope of analysis of the economic problems facing the island, including encouraging independent economic research inside Cuba.

ASCE seeks to broaden its contacts with economic associations outside the United States and to encourage economists and other social scientists from outside the United States to participate in its annual meetings.