The University of Sheffield
Department of Politics

PhD Students – Ramón Igor Centeno Miranda

Ramón Igor Centeno MirandaEmail: r.i.centeno-miranda@sheffield.ac.uk

Working Thesis Title: Institutional framework in post-Fidel Cuba

Start Year: 2011

Supervisors: Steve Ludlam and Tony Heron

Research Topic

The interest of this research is to identify what kind of institutional framework will succeed the current ruling Cuban elite after its nearing biological end (in charge since 1959). To have an insight about this, this study will analyse the changes in the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) - Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) relations as they were made evident in the timing and content of the reforms launched by the PCC in its Sixth Congress (April 2011) and in its First Conference (January 2012). Provisionally, this work will argue that the military has managed to subordinate the most important civil institution to its agenda, which is mainly focused on a partial economic liberalization. And why this has happened?

A possible source of explanation is around FAR’s large power in the economy and the subsequent interests created. For market-oriented promoted reforms would not be leading to democracy they would only be anticipating military’s monopoly of economic decisions. Is this elite in the process of turning itself into a native bourgeoisie?

Hence questions rose by this empirical research entail important theoretical discussions, like the relation between capitalism and democracy, regularly taken as evidently mutually fed.

Research interests

Cuba; Latin America; Communism; ideology and institutions.

Publications

Conference Papers

Education