The Cuban economist Mauricio de Miranda suggested that the reconstruction of Cuba will require a large-scale economic assistance program, comparable to the European post-war Marshall Plan.
His proposal, explained at the III DDC Forum "For the Cuba of Tomorrow," organized by Diario de Cuba in Madrid, makes the reconstruction plan contingent upon a political shift towards democracy and solid institutional guarantees.
De Miranda was emphatic in pointing out that this "tide of capital" is incompatible with the current model: "They would not be available in a totalitarian government that has control over all mechanisms of power with a company like GAESA, which is a financial and military monopoly that controls the most important aspects of the country's economy, is governed by military criteria, and does not answer to society."
The academic, a tenured professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali and a doctor in International Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid, emphasized that the lack of accountability is one of the structural problems of the regime: "Neither the parliament demands it, nor the courts, nor the General Comptroller of the Republic, absolutely nothing."
For De Miranda, the diagnosis is irrefutable: «The model of centrally planned economy in Cuba has collapsed», and measures such as the so-called Tarea Ordenamiento only served to worsen the situation, as he described it as «totally and completely mistaken» and «a disaster».
The result, he said, is that "Cuba has become poorer, its underdevelopment has deepened, and today Cuba is more internationally dependent than it was in the 1960s".
In front of that backdrop, the economist advocated for a social market economy where the market allocates resources, but with a democratic state that regulates without suffocating. He criticized that in Cuba "the word regulation is often confused with control," and argued that universal health and education should be rights guaranteed by institutions, not commodities.
He proposed to replace the current "cumbersome" state apparatus with a smaller and more efficient one, capable of coexisting with a robust and socially responsible private sector. “It is very important to consider that the country's economy is linked to the political system,” he warned.
Regarding financing, De Miranda identified three sources: international cooperation from governments, private capital from the Cuban community abroad, and Cuba's re-entry into multilateral credit institutions.
He recalled that the Island was a founding member of the IMF and the World Bank in 1944, and that the Havana Charter of 1947 provided legal support for the multilateral trading system. "Cuba incorrectly abandoned [these institutions]; that was a grave mistake," he stated.
In terms of productive matters, he dismissed the models of import substitution industrialization from the 1960s, opted to protect agriculture to ensure food security, and sought to integrate Cuban industry into global value chains.
De Miranda's proposals are part of a debate that has gained momentum throughout 2026.
In July, the economist joined the group "Cuba Transformación" along with Pedro Monreal, Omar Everleny, Ricardo Torres, and Pavel Vidal, which presented a roadmap in three phases to transition towards a social market economy with a democratic rule of law.
For his part, Cuban-American businessman Carlos Saladrigas estimated in March 2026 that the first phase of stabilization would cost between 6,000 and 10,000 million dollars, primarily financed by the diaspora and the United States, in a scheme he also referred to as the "Marshall Plan" for Cuba.
A group of experts in Miami calculated in July that comprehensive reconstruction could reach between 275 billion and 375 billion dollars within a timeframe of 10 to 15 years.
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