Cuban Co-ops: A New Economic Model

Over the last few years, President Raúl Castro has been slowly liberalizing Cuba’s socialist economy. The government has begun allowing small, private businesses to operate on the island. And now, it’s been experimenting with turning state enterprises into cooperatives and letting the workers own and run them. The cooperatives are seen by some as way of opening the country up to capitalism and privatization while maintaining some of the revolution’s collectivist ideals. And so far, Cubans seem to like them. For the first time in decades, these enterprises give workers a stake in their success, and allow their members to take home the money they earn. Jonathan Wolfe has our story.