In this episode of Cuba Analysis Podcast, we speak to Dr Emily Morris, a development economist and Honorary Senior Research Associate at the University College London, whose work provides essential insights into the structure and functioning of Cuba’s economy. This episode offers a deep dive beyond headlines and talking points, as Dr Morris guides us through the ‘perfect storm’ confronting Cuba today.

She explains why there is such scarcity of food, fuel and medical supplies, and why inflation has been so high and persistent despite government controls in the socialist economy. She describes the overlapping effects of the pandemic, domestic currency reform, tightening of US sanctions and ‘over-compliance’ in the international financial sector – factors that have combined to produce a sustained and deep economic crisis, resulting in prolonged electricity blackouts, goods shortages and large-scale emigration. She also examines how US sanctions weaponise international finance and trade, obliging banks to block transactions with Cuba and ships to turn away from Cuban ports, and pushing Cuba into deeper economic partnerships with Russia and China. We also discuss the complexities and reliability of Cuban economic data.

Dr Morris’ career has bridged academia, analysis for the Economist Intelligence Unit, and hands-on development partnerships in Cuba. First drawn to study Cuba because of its position as an economic outlier, operating outside conventional development models, she gathered rich data and insights in the 1990s into how Cuba survived the Special Period, which became the topic of her doctoral thesis. She was a close observer of the impact of the 1996 Helms Burton Act, which significantly tightened the US blockade and strengthened its extraterritorial impact, extending US sanctions to the rest of the world and deterring foreign investors. Dr Morris highlights inspiring examples of innovation emerging within these constraints. We get an insider’s view of collaborative projects she is helping to facilitate, from Cuban scientists turning landfill methane into energy to pioneering next-generation battery technology and developing sustainable urban transit plans.

This episode provides an antidote to politicised mainstream commentary which attributes Cuba’s economic problems solely to government mismanagement and inefficiency. It offers a grounded and accessible perspective on the complexities of economic sovereignty, highlighting the island’s resilience and potential to serve as a case study for development from below.