3rd year Law & Politics student Cam Bortolon, in his recently published submission to the undergraduate/master’s level journal Mapping Politics, compares key domestic policies used in Cuba with those used in comparable states in the region and globally to determine the causes of the country’s unusual capacity to meet human security needs. In other words, Bortolon asks why is Cuba’s level of human development so high compared to other countries with similar amounts of money? While Cuba ranks 68th on the United Nations’s Human Development Index, it’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is similar to those countries placing well below 100th. Bortolon concludes that equitable land reform, an exceptionally strong welfare state, and good governance through smart prioritisation and allocation of government resources have worked in conjunction to produce the impressive human development Cuba enjoys. Bortolon's article can be consulted here.