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BY RACHEL FREDMAN
The Dictator’s Dilemma and the Politics of Telecommunications in
Cuba: A Case Study
The Dictator’s Dilemma: Background
Information revolution: gov’t <-> civil society relationship1. Internet empowers civil society; inevitable force for democracy2. States are becoming more savvy in regulating the information revolution
Is the Internet an insurmountable threat to authoritarian rule? Balancing commercial benefits of information revolution with political control
“Totalitarian societies face a dilemma: either they try to
stifle these technologies and thereby fall further behind in the new industrial revolution,
or else they permit these technologies and see their
totalitarian control inevitably eroded.” – George Schultz,
1985
Cuba in Context of Dictator’s Dilemma
Restricted access Lowest internet penetration rate in Western
Hemisphere Cell phone ban until 2008 Gov’t approved scientists, medical researchers, gov’t
officials granted licenses for access Prohibition on private computer sales Public access points: monitoring and intranet Price constraints
Motivation
Source: OpenNet Initiative http://opennet.net/research/profiles/cuba
Research Question
Cost / benefit analysis: At what economic cost does the Cuban government
restrict ICT access to maintain political control?
Independent variable: training and support for IT professionals in Cuba
Dependent variable: level of economic development for ICT sector
Economic deadweight loss?
Field Research
3 weeks in mid-August
Methods: Qualitative interviews Field visits Cuban gov’t publications
Methods Details
Telephone Interviews Duration Occurrences
Academic – Cuban economist 30 minutes 1
Academic - Cuban blogosphere 1 hour 2
EU Representative, Havana 30 minutes 1
Commercial Representative, Italian Embassy Havana 30 minutes 1
Commercial Representative, Canadian Embassy Havana 30 minutes 1
Email Correspondences Sent Received
University of Havana Affiliate 6 6
Academic - IT engineering specialist 4 4
Former UK Ambassador to Cuba 10 9
Executive Director, Cuba Study Group 4 3
In-person interviews Duration Occurrences
University of Havana cultural liaison 1 hour 2
Commercial Representative, Japanese Embassy Havana 1 hour 1
Cuban dissident blogger 2 hours 2
Cuban dissident blogger 2 hours 1
BBC journalist 2 hours 1
Reuters journalist 2 hours 1
Former UK Ambassador to Cuba 1 hour 5
Representative, US Interests Section Havana 1.5 hours 1
IDICT Director of Organizational Development 1.5 hours 1
Ciencias de la Information Editor 1.5 hours 1
Field visits Location Duration
Instituto de Información Científica y Tecnológica (IDICT) Miramar 2 hours
Young Communist League Central Central Havana 30 minutes
Infomed Headquarters Vedado 30 minutes
Summary
Cuba as a case study of dictator’s dilemma
Research IT professional / entrepreneurship within Cuba
At what economic cost does the Cuban government restrict ICT access to maintain political control?
Develop analytical framework for generalizable research conclusions