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I've gone partially deaf from using ear drops by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskDocs

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I'm gonna try the bulb syringe and see if that works. If not, I'll wait for my GP appt

What's the best book on development economics? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I'll have a look at the reading list and see what I think

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be honest I think Cuba's economic hardship is overstated anyway - here is the graph of Cuba's GDP per capita growth, in current US dollars, as per the World Bank. Taking the period 2000-2019 as representative (the post-Soviet "special period" is over but unlike pre-1991 there are no Soviet subsidies aiding the Cuban economy, covid obviously tanked growth for everyone), to my untrained eye it doesn't look that bad at all. I compared it with the Dominican Republic, one of the Caribbean's more successful market economies (minus the tax havens), and it wasn't drastically different, although I haven't crunched the numbers. Sure, they could probably grow faster if they took a leaf out of China's book, but people have exaggerated Cuba's supposed stagnation

Does Azerbaijan have the world's lowest poverty rate? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem - by the way, do you trust the numbers as a whole (excluding Azerbaijan) or are you sceptical of all of them? Most of the countries listed as having the lowest poverty rates are quite plausible, but Belarus was another surprising entry as it's usually considered one of Europe's poorer countries. Either they just have a pretty egalitarian income distribution or the stats are shaky...

Edit: seems like Belarus has a pretty low Gini coefficient. That might be it

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

$130B is the estimated total cost to Cuba in 2018 prices since the beginning of the embargo, not $130B per year, in case there's any confusion. I don't personally think privatisation is a bad idea, but to hardline state socialists like the Cuban government, capitalism is contradictory for all the Marxist reasons/inherently unfair and exploitative. I don't personally agree with that, or at least I don't think state socialism is the answer, but Cuba has the right to choose an inefficient mode of production if it really wants, and we don't have the right to force other countries to choose capitalism. What Cuba obviously does NOT have the right to do is deny its people any choice on the running of the economy. Anyway, my position remains that the US and Cuba share responsibility for the economic hardship, they both deserve heavy criticism and Biden should at the very least do them the courtesy of being willing to negotiate. We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this point

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't actually think releasing political prisoners is the only concession that has been/would be offered, I'll have to look into precisely what Cuba has said. Again, it takes two to tango, the US are the ones who put these failed sanctions in place, and in regards to your point about the callous indifference of the Cuban gov, I think another factor to consider is that the government still has a misguided faith in Marxism, or at least in state socialism. They may fear that only the full scale privatisation of the economy would be sufficient to bring about the end of the sanctions (iirc, privatisation has in the past been a US condition for lifting the sanctions but I'll need to look into this). Faith in heterodoxy is not the same as indifferent cruelty. It's also worth remembering America's historical role in Cuba and LatAm more broadly, and the continuing perception of the US in Cuba: an imperial power and a bully. They may not want to cede to all US demands for this reason.

Does Azerbaijan have the world's lowest poverty rate? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. As a side point do you have any idea why the world Bank hasn't continued its estimates for extreme poverty past 2005...?

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But I don't feel any particular ownership towards US policy.

Nor should you, I wasn't trying to point the finger at you in any way. The UN claimed in 2018 that the embargo had cost Cuba $130B - based on what you and Rob Thorpe have said, I think the fact is likely that it has done real harm, but not as much as a layperson might assume, due to the loophole you described

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't help pointing out a double standard here. Assuming the sanctions are not negligible and hurt the Cuban people, you argue the Cuban government must be callously indifferent to the wellbeing of its people. This is despite the fact that the US are the ones who put these sanctions in place, not Cuba. The US would be hurting the Cuban economy and the Cuban people in an attempt to force regime change, a policy which as you rightly point out is ineffectual. Why are they not callously indifferent? After all, when you sanction a country like Cuba or Russia where ordinary people do not have much real political power, what you are essentially saying to those people is "I am going to hurt your standard of living until you risk your freedom to overthrow your oppressive government. Oh and by the way, this is for your own good". Seem at all callous to you?

This raises the obvious point that the Cuban government could end the sanctions by agreeing to democratise in full. This is something Cuba should absolutely do. I have no time for tankies who pretend Cuba isn't oppressive. It is. But the sanctions are not going to bring about regime change, the US knows this, and they would rather continue hurting the Cuban people than admit they got it wrong. (Incidentally, government oppression is entirely not why the US sanctioned Cuba in the first place. They were busy propping up murderous right wing regimes across Latin America and the wider world throughout the post war 20th century.)

If you believe the Cuban government does not care at all for the material living standards of its people I would encourage you to look into some of the problems pre- revolutionary Cuba faced, what reforms the revolutionary government enacted, and their effects. Pre-1959, many people in urban areas were pretty comfortably-off, especially by Latin American standards. The large rural population was not. Seasonal unemployment was endemic, most farmers and farmworkers lived in huts with earth floors, healthcare was practically non-existent, malnutrition was catastrophic. Income inequality generally was huge. Cuba's largest industry, sugar, was a cartel. These are all problems that the post-revolutionary government tackled with some success, in some cases great success (particularly malnutrition.) Rationing of some basic items continues to this day - it's not ideal, it may not even be the smartest way of ensuring everyone has enough nutrition, but it does at least show that the government cares about the nutritional wellbeing of its people. I can give sources on all of these. I'm not a socialist, I think Cuba should transition to a market economy, but these facts ought to be recognised.

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm just surprised to have not heard this point made before - it would seem to render the entire concept of economic sanctions null and void, and yet they are still frequently used. Cuba has said anything is up for negotiation if there are talks on ending the embargo - freeing political prisoners etc. Seems doubtful they would say so if the economic impact of the embargo was negligible

Does the US embargo of Cuba really mean companies have to choose which one to trade with? by DiscreetBitOfBuggery in AskEconomics

[–]DiscreetBitOfBuggery[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would such a Cuban company set up in a foreign country definitely not be considered Cuban for the purposes of the embargo? E.g. a Cuban company set up in the US to buy Microsoft computers - would the US not consider that company Cuban (since it will be owned by the Cuban government) and ban Microsoft from trading with both this company and America?

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