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...
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