Cuban Economists on the Cuban Economy

5. Creating a Better Life: The Human Dimension of the Cuban Economy

5 Creating a Better Life The Human Dimension of the Cuban Economy Rita Castiñeiras García Hunger, destitution, disease, ignorance, unemployment, lack of opportunity, lack of security, inequality, hopelessness, those are the words that could summarize the living conditions of a large portion of the current population of the planet. Fidel Castro As we enter a new millennium, humankind has to address two unresolved challenges : stopping the decimation of the environment and ending poverty. The search for a better life or, in other words, for an improved quality of life or human well-being, has existed since time immemorial. The emergence of the concept as such, and the concern with its systematic and scientific evaluation, is, however, relatively new. During the 1950s and early 1960s, there was growing interest in understanding human well-being, and it became necessary to measure this condition with objective data. Social science fields began to develop social indicators that allowed quantitative measurement of conditions and events connected with a population’s social well-being. Over the course of the 1960s, the issue became much more popular. In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, social well-being started to take shape as an integrated and multidimensional concept, involving all walks of life and both objective and subjective components. Quality of life has now become a widely used concept in many different fields, such as health care, mental health, education, economics, politics, and the world of services in general. There is, of course, still a lack of consensus on both its definition and proper evaluation. Quality of life is linked to humans’ satisfaction of their material, social, psychological , and spiritual needs, and hence encompasses a large number of elements . It is based on the security and availability of health care and education, sufficient food and decent housing, a healthy natural environment, justice, 140 Rita Castiñeiras García equality between the sexes and races, dignity, and security. Humans are entitled to safety and security not only in terms of protection against avoidable damage , but also in terms of freedom from the fear of such damage. Personal safety is closely linked to social and economic security, as well as to national and international peace and security. Because of its intrinsically multidimensional nature, quality of life cannot be summarized with some single social indicator, nor can an average quality of life be calculated. It is becoming daily more obvious that a healthy natural environment is an important component of quality of life. Sustainability is a recognition that natural resources are limited and that appropriate stewardship is the basis for the survival of the environment, society, economies, and individuals. If the means of human existence and prosperity cannot be sustainably protected, they cannot be guaranteed. Sustainability is therefore a necessary component of security. Sustainability also has another, less discussed aspect: the sustainability of society. Sustaining human society requires maintaining diversity in human beings by allowing them to develop their individuality. This central goal of socialism is also directly relevant to quality of life. Achieving the development of every human persona in turn rests on the development of health care, education , and other social services. Equity is a fundamental principle that should govern every society. True equity is based on real equality of opportunity, which in turn is possible only through greater equality in the distribution of income, wealth, and access to services. When a country’s existing policies are indeed governed by equity, all its members have greater security, longer life expectancy, a more sustainable environment, and in general a better quality of life. Measurement of Human Well-Being Several institutions have created indexes for quality of life as a whole. Such an index results from the combination of various indicators and attempts to represent the true, overall well-being of individuals. One of the first indexes synthesized was the physical quality of life index,1 based on three indicators: infant mortality rate, life expectancy at birth, and adult literacy rate. In 1990 this indicator was replaced by the Human Development Index (HDI), published by the United Nations Development Programme (PNUD). HDI is conceptually very similar to the earlier index, but education level is measured by combining the adult literacy rate (weighted two-thirds) and the median number of years of schooling (weighted one-third). All indexes have problems and dangers, however. The numerous disparate Creating a Better Life: The Human Dimension of the Cuban Economy 141...