Local government in Cuba: Democracy through participation?

Cuban local government as a subject has been largely ignored. Moreover, being widely perceived as part of a hard‐line anti‐democratic dictatorship, its role may generally have been misunderstood. This article both fills the information gap and assesses the Cuban system against ‘justifications’ for local government usually advanced in the West. It suggests that, while Cuban local government may not provide local democracy in the liberal democratic mould, it allows active citizen participation, is a considerable force for local innovation and self‐help, and may yet provide the vehicle for the further development of a uniquely Cuban model of democracy.