The initiative, Cuba Transformación, sets out recommendations to stabilize Cuba’s economy and lay the groundwork for a sustainable recovery.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Cuba Study Group (CSG) announces its support for a collective effort by five distinguished Cuban economists — Mauricio de Miranda Parrondo, Pedro Monreal González, Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, Ricardo Torres Pérez, and Pavel Vidal Alejandro — who are developing a comprehensive roadmap for the economic transformation of Cuba. A transnational cohort based in Colombia, Cuba, Spain, and the United States, the five bring diverse academic backgrounds and professional experiences to a shared analytical project.

The roadmap, titled Cuba Transformación (Cuba Transformation), comes at a time marked by an unprecedented cycle of external pressure and internal reform on the island. To be published over the coming weeks, it draws on the economists’ collective research to identify the priorities, the sequence of steps, and the policy measures Cuba would need to confront its deep ongoing crisis and lay the foundations for a sustainable recovery. CSG is providing logistical and communications support, while the economists retain intellectual independence and responsibility for their conclusions.

Cuba Transformación starts from a clear-eyed look at the problems Cuba faces today. Its economy is in an unusually deep crisis, driven by causes both at home and abroad — a broken economic model, years of policy mistakes, a changing global landscape, and harsh U.S. sanctions. The roadmap will chart a way out in three phases: first, stabilization and emergency measures; second, productive and institutional recovery; and third, a medium- and long-term development strategy.

The economists present their work not as a final or definitive answer to Cuba’s problems, but as a collaborative, iterative effort to offer well-grounded arguments, identify workable measures, reduce the social costs of change, and open room for responsible solutions. Its purpose is to encourage public debate and understanding over Cuba’s economic future, and to build consensus on the fundamentals of transformative economic policy for the island.

Through its newsletter, the Cuba Economic Review, CSG has already published a series of essays by the economists that reflect their collective research — work that informs and accompanies the broader roadmap. The full series is linked at the end of this release.

“These five economists are among the most respected analysts of the Cuban economy, and they have come together to think rigorously and honestly about how Cuba can pull back from the brink and build toward a sustainable recovery,” said Ricardo Herrero, Executive Director of the Cuba Study Group. “The Cuba Study Group is proud to help create the space for this kind of serious, independent analysis, and we believe Cuba Transformación can become an essential resource for anyone committed to a viable economic future for the Cuban people.”

Essays from the Cuba Economic Review:

• “Cuba’s Structural Crisis and the Path to Transformation,” by Ricardo Torres
• “Stopping the Freefall: Cuba’s Emergency Stabilization Phase,” by Pavel Vidal
• “A Social Market Economy Requires Democratic Rule of Law,” by Mauricio de Miranda and Pedro Monreal
• “Guiding Principles for Cuba’s Economic Transformation,” by Omar Everleny
• “Stabilizing the Cuban Economy: How Should Priorities Be Defined?,” by Ricardo Torres and Pavel Vidal

About the Cuba Study Group

The Cuba Study Group is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing a peaceful, engagement-based path toward a free and prosperous Cuba.