Social policies in Cuba and Papua New Guinea after communism

Post Communism and Social Policies -- an Introduction

Communism and Capitalism are the two terms that have been defining the societies of the world. Needless to say, the understanding of the aforementioned terms is important before we go on to discuss the social policies in different countries. Communism is basically the economic organization is which the ownership of everything belongs to the government. Capitalism is the opposite of Communism. Karl Marx developed communism during the 19th century (Nelson, 2000). In a communist country, the government controls the economy and the people of the country work for the businesses that are owned by the government. The government takes control of the entire production and each person receives his share according to his contribution. The distribution of the resources is also done by the government. People get what the government thinks they deserve according to their needs and abilities.

Post-communism is a term that is used to define the period during which economic and political transformation took place in some countries of Asia, Latin America and Europe, which were formerly communist states. The new governments of these countries aimed to create capitalist economies that were free market-oriented. The countries that have made a transition from being solely communist to capitalist, or at least a combination of two, are referred to as the post-communist nations (Easter, 2012). Papua New Guinea and Cuba are the two post-communist countries that will be the main topic of discussion of this paper.

Another terminology that we need to define before we move on to the main discussion of this report is 'social policy'. Social policy refers to the strategies, legislation, principles and activities that have the potential to affect the quality of living and living conditions of the people of a particular society (Dean, 2006). According to the Department of Social Policy of the London School of Economics, social policy is defined as "an interdisciplinary and applied subject that concerns the analysis of the responses of the societies to the social needs of the people."

The main aim of this report is to discuss, compare and contrast the key characteristics of the social policies that are being implemented in Cuba and PNG.

Social Policies in Cuba

The social as well as the economic policies that have been devised by the post-communist government of Cuba correspond to the fundamental principle that the only set up that is capable of overcoming the problems and conserving the subjugations of the Revolution is socialism. Moreover, the government also believes that in updating the social and economic model of the country, the planning of strategies will be considered as the top most priority rather than the market (Ruz, 2011).

The key characteristics of the social policies that are being implemented in Cuba have been based on a few guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is the formation and implementation of the policies in such a way that no social sector is ignored.

The first key characteristic of the social policies that are being implemented in the country is the preservation of the achievements that resulted from the Revolution. These achievements include easy accessibility to education, medical attention, sports, culture, recreation, social security for the people who need it and retirement pensions (Sweig et. al, 2013). The aforementioned facilities were thought to be a part of the capitalist or socialist society and not that of a communist one. The social policies of the Cuba also aim at recovering the significant role of labor since it is considered to be the basic means of funding the development and welfare of the society. Moreover, the recovery of the role of labor as a part of social policy also led to increased fulfillment of personal needs and satisfaction of families. The social policies of post-communist Cuba also aim to guarantee the general public the sustained and organized increase in the quality of goods and services that are offered to the public (Sandholtz and Taagepera, 2005). Apart from this, the government is also considering to reconstruct the present policies by taking into consideration the economic possibilities. By implementing the social policies the government wishes to continue the improvisation of health care, education, culture and sports and at the same time abolish or at least decrease the extra costs that exist in the social sector.

The two social sectors that were given the most attention during the formulation of social policies were education and health. As for the preschool, primary and secondary education particular attention was given to the advancement of the quality of education by promoting the process of educating teachers. The key characteristic of this policy also included the improved utilization of the current capacities. The aforementioned is being achieved by the formation of combined centers that provide assurance of the construction of the various levels of education pertaining to the needs of the students. This means that the education system will adjust the size of the education centers and also improve upon the use of the existing workforce. As far as the higher education is concerned, the social policy encourages the students to take up courses that will help them contribute towards the economic and social development of the country (Grandin, 2004).

The health policy of the country lays emphasis on the improvement of the health care service that is provided to the general population. By implementing the policies, the government wishes to save funds by making use of the resources efficiently and by cutting on unwanted costs.

Figure 1 Shows the literacy rate over the past 5 decades. The improved social policies have led to an increase in the literacy rate.

Figure 2 Shows how a non-Communist system can affect the economy of a country.

Comparison of the Education Policies in Cuba and PNG

It should be noted here that Cuba and PNG are two countries that made a transition from being a communist nation to a nation that is trying to promote democracy. Where there were changes in many policies, social policies were also modified according to the new system. After discussing the key characteristics of the education policy of Cuba and PNG, we can make a comparison of the policies in both the countries. It will not be wrong to say that the conditions and circumstances of both the countries is not the same and therefore some changes are inevitable.

Before starting the comparison of education policies of the aforementioned countries, we shall bring into limelight the astonishing difference between the literacy rates of Cuba and PNG. Cuba is fortunate enough to have a literacy rate of 99.8%, whereas the literacy rate of PNG is 57.6% (World Bank Estimates Microdata, 2013). Keeping in view such a huge gap that exists between the literacy rates, it is understandable that the education policies will differ on many fronts.

As discussed above, the main aim of the education policy of PNG is to make sure that every individual has free access to education. Needless to say, the nation is struggling as a democratic country and therefore it wants to make sure that people are educated enough to make the right choice at the time of elections. As of now, the education policy does not lay emphasis on the 'quality' education. On the other hand, the education policy of Cuba pays specific attention towards the quality of education that is being delivered at preschool, primary and secondary levels. Apart from this, PNG's education policy subsidizes the fees of the schools for infrastructure of educational institutions and construction of computer and science labs. On the other hand, the education policy that is being implemented in Cuba aims at improving the quality of education by sponsoring the teaching and training sessions for teachers. The management of the education sector encourages the teachers and the school/college administration to utilize the resources in such a way that the students and as well as the teachers can benefit from it. The education policy of Cuba has also laid special emphasis on the advancement of technology in the educational institutions.

The education policy of PNG urges the education sector to develop the curriculum in such a way that the students are also taught some skills so that they can contribute towards the productivity for the betterment of the society and economy. On the other hand, the guidelines for the education policy of Cuba suggest that the graduate students should be encouraged to specialize in the fields that are related to economics so that they can play their role as responsible citizens and reform the society as a successful post-communist nation.

Impact of Globalization on PNG and Cuba

Globalization has benefited many countries, however there are some countries that are struggling to make a good deal out of globalization. One of such countries is PNG.

As discussed earlier, infant and maternal mortality rates are highest in PNG as compared to the other countries of the Pacific (Philips, 2012). Also, illiteracy is a huge problem. The per capita income of PNG is also considered to be one of the lowest in the world in general and in the region in particular, despite it being rich in resources (Howard, 2002). Apart from these social and economic issues that the country is facing, Globalization and pressure from the other EU countries are making matters for PNG. It will not be wrong to say that globalization started impacting the social and economic policies and condition of the country when it became a member of the World Trade Organization. Becoming a member of the organization meant that it had to implement the policies of WTO. This was one of the main reasons why the country has never been able to benefit to the fullest from the national social policies pertaining to the health and education sector. In the wake of the policies of WTO, the government of PNG had to deregulate the national policies pertaining to the business interests and protection of the citizens. As per the policy of the treaty, many international companies enter the country for the sake of foreign investment and in the name of economic growth, but instead they turn small people out of their businesses (Kua, 2002). The poverty rate is already quite high in the country and this further leads to the citizens not having capital. It will not be wrong to say that when people are out of money, their quality of life gets effected and therefore some people are pushed further down the poverty line so that they are not even able to pay the fee of their children. This implies that children are withdrawn from school and the literacy rate either stays where it is or comes down. Moreover, globalization and the entry of foreign companies into PNG have led to increase in the incidence of corruption at the political and bureaucratic levels. Considering the situation that has been explained above, the World Bank and IMF have asked the government of PNG to improve its social and economic conditions before loan is released.

Figure 3 Shows the resources of PNG

Figure 4 The country is already in debt because of the increasing pressure of Globalization

On the other hand, Cuba is becoming a part of the globalized world at an exponential rate. However, the leaders of this post-communist country are trying really hard to define the status of the country in world marketplace. The president of Cuba's National Assembly, Ricardo Alacron was reported as saying that globalization is an inevitable fact. He went on to say that you cannot oppose the movement of history such as globalization.

Just like the leaders of any other country of the world, Alarcon wishes to take as much benefit from globalization as the country along with minimizing the costs that come with it. However, the prospects of Cuba are troubled by its economy that is rather planned in a sclerotic way. Moreover, the prospects of the country are further clouded by the authoritarian Communist political set up, which still exists in the country despite of the revolution. This implies that the economy of the country does not have the flexibility to fulfill the demands of the global market. Apart from this, the people of Cuba are not very much interested in the country becoming a part of globalization since it wants the social policies to be implemented in the country so that they can benefit from them. Most of the people of Cuba want to sustain the achievements of the revolution that led to the formation of the social policies that have been discussed above and therefore they seem to be indifferent to the niche of the country in the global market (Stokes, 2003).