Comparing Socialist Approaches: Economics and Social Security in Cuba, China, and Vietnam (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780822948476)

Carmelo Mesa-Lago looks at the two main socialist models across these three countries to compare central planning and socialist markets. Under the Cuban central plan, large state enterprises have been unable to generate economic growth, even with mild structural market reforms and a small controlled private sector. In the Sino-Vietnamese model of a socialist marketplace, dynamic private enterprises of all sizes, together with large state enterprises, operate under a decentralized plan with state regulation and control. This has allowed for accelerated growth and social improvement. The two models are contrasted on five major economic policies: ownership of the means of production, agrarian reform, industrialization processes, employment, and currency and exchange rate unification. Mesa-Lago argues that the socialist market model has a better performance than the central plan across economic and social indicators. He then recommends policies to improve social protection in the three countries.

Author: Carmelo Mesa-Lago
ISBN-10: 0822948478
ISBN-13: 9780822948476
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Language: English
Published: 04/08/2025
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover