US

Cuba’s Economy

Cuba’s low per-capita income growth — 1.2 percent per year since 1960 —has more to do with Cuba’s own economic policies than with the U.S. embargo on trade and tourism.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Cuba is stuck in the 1950s primarily due to its internal policies not external constraints.
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Strongly Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Of course, lost tourism opportnties, etc. might also be important. Parsing it out an empirical question.
Currie
Janet Currie
Princeton
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Sanctions are not perfectly binding, and other countries subject to U.S.sanctions have continued to grow.
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Seems likely, but I know nothing concrete about the Cuban economy.
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
The embargo is also likely to have been an important factor, and may be partly responsible for sustaining Cuba's internal economic policies.
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Trade certainly matters for growth. Many countries though would trade with Cuba, so probably its own policies were more important.
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Cuba's economic policies were flawed, but cutting off a small country from the rest of the world has detrimental effects on its growth.
Goldin
Claudia Goldin
Harvard
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
communist dictatorship not exactly a growth strategy. I bet that stated growth rate even overstates reality
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
That is, with free-market policies and honest competent government, a Caribbean country could prosper without US trade or tourists.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
If Cuba allocated labor & capital to the most productive uses, growth would be higher. The US is too small as % of world trade to prevent it
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Gravity model suggests adverse effects from the embargo, but destroying the price system and using command and control instead hurts more.
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
The embargo was mitigated by Cuban trade with other countries (trade diversion).
-see background information here
Lazear
Edward Lazear
Stanford
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
See Jamaica v. Barbados and other Caribb. nations that are not embargoed. Their growth depends on local policy. Other evidence as well.
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Shin
Hyun Song Shin
Princeton
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Stock
James Stock
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Stokey
Nancy Stokey
University of Chicago
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Seems right but I cannot think of any good reason to maintain this boycot. Hurts US biz interests and Cuban people.
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Zingales
Luigi Zingales
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History