Abstract
Similar to other countries in North Africa, Morocco’s economic model finds itself at a crossroads. The uprisings and subsequent revolutions in many Arab countries in the wake of the 2011 “Arab Spring” have shown that the social contract prevailing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has ultimately failed. Although to varying degrees, the states of the region find themselves in need of redefining their relationships with society and developing long-term strategies to better meet the demands of their constituents. We argue that industrial policy can provide a valuable contribution to establishing a new and better social contract by addressing economic problems, such as job creation and growth, as well as by paving new ways of collaboration between government, business and non-business actors, and thus higher inclusion. This, we argue, can be achieved if key criteria related to embedded autonomy, specifically extensive cooperation across stakeholders, as well as monitoring and evaluation of outcomes are fulfilled. Our findings suggest that the policy-making process in Morocco is becoming systemic in nature, values dialogue with the private sector, and places a stronger focus on industrialisation through dynamic competitive advantage, which might set it apart from other countries in the region. However, some hurdles still need to be appropriately addressed, most particularly to satisfy the second criteria of monitoring and evaluation, which still exhibits major shortcomings, but also concerning deeper inclusion and a more systematic implementation. Yet, although challenges remain, Morocco has taken a promising direction towards addressing the weaknesses of previous policies. If the identified weaknesses are addressed, industrial policy might well prove itself as valuable contribution to a new social contract within the country.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.