• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 06 / 29 / 2011

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June 28, 2011 6:11 pm by Ron Buchanan. Havana may not yet rival Harvard, but an MBA course is shortly to be launched in the  Cuban capital.

The invitation to the MBA course has been extended by the Archdiocese of Havana, in conjunction with the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia in Spain. Only 40 places are available. The course will form cadres for a still tiny private sector in Cuba that is expected to grow rapidly under reforms announced recently by President Raúl Castro.

Raúl seems to have the backing of his brother and líder máximo of the Revolution, Fidel. And at least some change is on the way.

Cuban property laws are more Pyongyang than Palm Beach, but new legislation allows foreign investors to acquire 99-year leases on state land. And at least some foreign real-estate agents are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of a boom in golf courses linked to condominium projects.

So why are the Castros willing to do this? The word from the bongo drums in Havana is Vietnam-style, or indeed Chinese, reforms are the only way out.

But these very same drums are telling another story too, one of a Stalinist group within the power structure that is resistant to change. Already there have been major delays in the reforms, especially the most sensitive ones.

Raúl has announced massive lay-offs in a state sector whose payroll is massively padded. So far the lay-offs have yet to happen.

Which is where the Catholic Church comes in as an ally of the proponents of reform. The MBA course is the latest in a series of educational initiatives by the Church in association with Catholic universities in Spain and Mexico.

By now the Church has established an alternative to the state-controlled educational system almost throughout the island. The courses, in what loosely be regarded as social sciences, are tinged by Catholic ideology.

Source: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/06/28/come-get-your-mba-in-cuba/