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ABSTRACT: Much scholarship has focused on the indigenous cultures the Spaniards encountered upon arriving in Cuba in the late fifteenth century, including some characteristics of the population, but only limited efforts have been devoted to exploring the dynamics underlying their demographic evolution, such as reproductive behavior or disease profiles determining mortality patterns. This is not surprising given limitations of the archaeological record and paucity of statistical sources. This article reviews the existing evidence from a narrow demographic perspective while offering observations regarding how demographic variables may have shaped the pre-1492 indigenous population. RESUMEN: A pesar de la mucha atención asignada al estudio de las culturas indígenas halladas por los españoles a su llegada a Cuba a fines del siglo XV, inclusive acerca de algunas de sus características poblacionales, solo unos pocos esfuerzos han sido orientados a explorar su dinámica demográfica, tales como el comportamiento reproductivo o los esquemas de morbilidad responsables de los patrones de mortalidad. Esto no es sorprendente dada las limitaciones de la evidencia arqueológica y la falta de fuentes estadísticas. El objetivo de este artículo es reseñar la evidencia existente desde una óptica demográfica, a la par que ofrece especulaciones selectas del como variables demográficas podrían haber influenciado la evolución de la población indígena antes de 1492.

En las próximas décadas, Cuba enfrentará grandes retos demográficos. Debido a la persistencia de la baja fecundidad y altas tasas de emigración, la población se está contrayendo a medida que gradualmente envejece. La tendencia al envejecimiento poblacional, como sugieren varias proyecciones de población recientes, es irreversible al corto y mediano plazo, lo que plantea futuros dilemas sociales y económicos. Cómo satisfacer las necesidades de la población envejecida será tema central dentro del debate sobre políticas económicas a seguir. Muchos países ricos enfrentando retos comparables están considerando o implementando varias opciones de política—en consonancia con su régimen de bienestar social—para enfrentar la crisis del envejecimiento. Cuba, aunque confronta circunstancias económicas mucho más adversas, tendrá que elegir de entre estas opciones a medida que implementa inevitables reformas a su sistema de bienestar social.

In 2006, Cuba's TFR had declined to 1.39, a level nearly comparable to those found in ultra‐low‐fertility but far richer European and Asian countries. Given the vast economic differences, Cuba's very low fertility was anomalous. Since 2006, and in tandem with what has occurred in many other low‐fertility countries, the Cuban TFR has increased. This article contends that the TFR increase largely was a response to improvements in the welfare of individual households—and thus, in their financial ability to have children. These improvements were the result of considerable permanent and temporary labor emigration, which together with US and Cuban policy changes, led to a surge in remittances and contributed to easing Cuba's perennial housing shortage.

The article examines the role the United States, other bilateral donors and the international lending institutions will have to play in Cuba by assisting with the implementation of short- and long-term initiatives to reconstruct the country's political and economic institutions and breath life into economy. (DSE/DÜI)

AbstractThis article assumes a balanced position between two contrasting views regarding the accessibility, quality, efficiency and financial sustainability of the Cuban healthcare system. It evaluates those issues in the 2006–20 period by identifying strengths and weaknesses based on a comprehensive statistical compilation of health indicators, physical infrastructure trends, availability of physicians and other elements to assess the system's long-term financial sustainability. Finally, it examines the likely consequences of population ageing on healthcare, including potential policies.

This article describes the findings of a study undertaken to shed light on some of the factors that determine the employment of foreign biomedical scientists in the United States by examining their presence at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH was selected as the focus of the study for its unique combination of characteristics. It is a federal agency with the ambiance of academe that carries out biomedical research and training internally while supporting like activities externally through grant- and contract-based linkages with a host of academic institutions and biotechnology firms in the United States and abroad. Over a two-year period, in-depth interviews were conducted with more than 200 stakeholders at the NIH campus and elsewhere, as well as ethnographic observations. The study identified several hitherto unreported important functions that NIH plays in facilitating the inflow of talented foreign scientists to meet its manpower needs and those of the broader national economy.