ResearchAchieving Territorial Justice requires a fresh approach

To achieve territorial justice, it is essential to balance an integrated strategy aimed at eradicating territorial disparities ‘from the source’ by strengthening regional foundations in policy-making, resource allocation, and investments, alongside remedial measures benefiting disadvantaged regions and areas.

 

Download article

 

Introduction

The unequal distribution of resources, programs, and public investments has widened the developmental gap between territorial areas, solidifying a “negative discrimination” between regions and areas that exhibit economic and social indicators above the national average, and those left within the circle of “unnecessary Morocco.” Despite the multitude of programs designed to bridge “territorial gaps,” these gaps continue to widen, exacerbated by stark disparities between regional capitals and smaller towns, as well as the growing divide between urban areas, which receive the majority of investment and rehabilitation projects, and rural areas where many regions still suffer from multiple economic and social challenges.

Faced with the escalation of these disparities and their contradiction with the requirements of territorial justice as articulated in the 2011 Constitution, a national strategy was developed to reinforce developmental balance among national territorial areas. This strategy was implemented through several programs, notably the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities in Rural Areas during the period from 2017 to 2023. This program aimed to empower targeted regions with basic social services in health, education, accessibility, water, and electricity, through a series of projects totaling approximately $5 billion in funding from ministerial sectors, public institutions, and regional councils. The approach was participatory, focusing on remedying the backwardness experienced by marginalized areas in infrastructure, health, education, and public networks.

In this paper, we will examine the transformations of territorial justice programs in Morocco and their outcomes in light of the results of the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities for the period 2017-2023. We will also track the issues and roots that continue to fuel this problem, as well as explore proposals capable of directing territorial discrimination mechanisms to eradicate the underlying factors of disparities, rather than continuing to address the symptoms that perpetually reproduce themselves.

 

The Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities: Stakes and Mechanisms

For decades, Morocco’s public policies have suffered from the burden of the colonial legacy, which entrenched a discriminatory perspective between “useful Morocco” and “non-useful Morocco” in the distribution of investments, programs, and public facilities [1]. Despite efforts to bridge this gap through numerous interventions and projects, it has continued to widen, as the cumulative nature of territorial disparities and their intergenerational transfer make any delay in addressing them increasingly costly over time [2]. In light of this situation, the necessity emerged for an integrated public response to overcome this dilemma, which has burdened Morocco’s developmental trajectory and contradicted the constitutional vision of territorial equity. This vision is further supported by legislative reforms that emphasize balanced development in line with the new orientations for territorial planning, advanced regionalization, administrative decentralization, and spatial distribution of investments.

To this end, the Throne Day speech of 2015 called for the development of an integrated action plan to reduce territorial disparities between Morocco’s regions and between urban and rural areas, to curb migration to cities. Additionally, other royal speeches and messages have emphasized reducing territorial disparities as a primary goal of any desired development model, within a new territorial planning policy aimed at rebalancing the national territory [3]. In this context, reports from the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council have consistently warned of the impacts of territorial disparities on income inequality, equal opportunities, and access to basic social services [4]. These reports have diagnosed the nature of these disparities and their predominantly rural character, noting that over 29,000 douars in 1,253 communes suffer from a lack of basic services and infrastructure, particularly in education, health, water, electricity, and rural roads [5]. Furthermore, human development indicators reveal that poverty rates in several regions exceed the national average (4.8%), as seen in Drâa-Tafilalet (14.6%) and Béni Mellal-Khénifra (9.3%). In summary, seven regions account for approximately 74% of Morocco’s poor population, with rural poverty being particularly pronounced, as 85.4% of those experiencing multidimensional poverty lived in rural areas in 2014 [6].

These speeches and reports provided a guiding framework for the development of the national strategy for the development of rural areas and mountainous regions, which was approved by the Permanent Ministerial Committee for the Development of Rural Areas and Mountainous Regions in July 2015. The strategy consists of three components: The first includes major structuring projects aimed at reducing isolation, enhancing the competitiveness of areas, and mitigating territorial disparities by boosting the attractiveness of urban centers and tourist and energy hubs. The second component comprises projects targeting the protection of natural resources and ecosystems, and the promotion of sectors driving territorial development in agriculture, tourism, handicrafts, and tangible and intangible heritage. The third component includes infrastructure projects and basic social services included in the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities in Rural Areas (PRDST), which was envisioned as a model experience for social and territorial rehabilitation of marginalized areas over seven years (2017-2023) to implement more than twenty thousand projects in regions with low development indices [7].

The aforementioned program aimed to strengthen the convergence of sectoral and territorial policies in addressing the roots that fuel territorial disparities in the long term. Operationally, the program focused on five specific objectives, including accelerating efforts to reduce the isolation of mountainous areas [8]. Given the rural depth of territorial disparities, and recognizing the pivotal role of the road network in enhancing territorial integration, the program aimed to construct, upgrade, and maintain 35,000 kilometers of rural roads and pathways with a budget of approximately 36 billion dirhams. Additionally, the program sought to improve the access of vulnerable populations to basic social services in education through the enhancement of infrastructure, and health by improving access to primary healthcare institutions for rural populations. It also aimed to address the accumulated deficits in the generalization of access to electricity and potable water networks [9]. Concurrently, a package of projects was designed to stimulate sustainable development and encourage investment localization in the poorest areas, following an approach that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions and ensures the strengthening of the territorial attractiveness of the targeted areas.

To achieve the desired goals, an index network was used to calculate disparities between territorial areas based on 19 indicators. These indicators were used to classify territorial communes into five categories related to the accessibility and quality of infrastructure and health and educational facilities. Based on this classification, the specific priority needs of each commune were identified according to the extent and type of deficits recorded in public infrastructure and services. This process relied on the Information System for the Development of Rural Areas and Mountainous Regions (SIDERZM), developed by the Directorates of Rural Development, Mountainous Areas, and Information Systems, under the Ministry of Agriculture [10]. Additionally, a dashboard was implemented to measure the effectiveness of achieved results and to monitor improvements in bridging territorial disparities. This was done in coordination with ministerial sectors, public institutions, the National Initiative for Human Development, and regional councils.

To alleviate the centralization in managing policies for territorial justice, the participatory and territorial dimensions were emphasized in designing the institutional framework for the national strategy for the development of rural areas and mountainous regions and for the governance of the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities. Alongside the Permanent Ministerial Committee for the Development of Rural Areas and Mountainous Regions (CIPDERZM) — which is responsible for leadership and coordination under the supervision of the Head of Government and includes 17 ministerial sectors — the National Committee for the Development of Rural Areas and Mountainous Regions (CNDERZM) was tasked with proposing model projects and budget estimates for each region under the supervision of the Minister of Agriculture [11][12]. At the territorial level, regional committees for the development of rural areas and mountainous regions (CRDERZM) were established. These committees, co-chaired by regional governors and regional council presidents, were responsible for identifying needs and programming priority projects within annual regional plans, in coordination with the national committee. They also formulated program contracts that define the financial structure, the roles of the governors and regional council presidents, and the measures related to the supervision, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of these projects [13].

The program’s budget amounted to 50 billion dirhams, sourced from contributions by regional councils (20 billion dirhams), the National Initiative for Human Development (4 billion dirhams), and the National Office of Electricity and Water (2.56 billion dirhams). The Rural Development and Mountainous Areas Fund (FDRZM) contributed 23.3 billion dirhams, which includes the fund’s resources as well as contributions from relevant ministerial sectors and public institutions [14]. This represents 47 percent of the program’s total financial allocation, given that all its funds during this phase (2017-2023) were entirely dedicated to financing the operations of the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities [15]. Regarding the nature of the funded projects, more than two-thirds of the program’s budget (35.4 billion dirhams) was allocated to the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of rural roads and pathways, as well as engineering structures, within the direct contribution framework of the Ministry of Equipment and Water. The remaining financial allocation was distributed to strengthen educational infrastructure (5 billion dirhams), health infrastructure (2 billion dirhams), and to support electricity (2 billion dirhams) and potable water networks (6 billion dirhams).

Figure 1: Funding Sources for the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities

 

Rural Development Fund and Mountain Areas: 23.3 billion Dirhams

National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water: 2.6 billion Dirhams

National Initiative for Human Development: 4 billion Dirhams

50 billion Dirhams

Regional Councils: 20 billion Dirhams

 Source: Information System for Rural and Mountain Area Development, 2019.

 

In parallel with national funding, several territorial development projects were launched during the 2020-2023 period to support efforts to address deficiencies in less-equipped rural areas, in partnership with international donors. These include the Mountainous Areas Rural Development Project in the provinces of Ouarzazate, Tinghir, and Beni Mellal; the Integrated Rural Development Project for the foothills of the Rif Mountains, supported by the World Bank; and the Comprehensive Rural Development Project in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank [16]. Additionally, the European Union provided financial and technical assistance amounting to 50 million euros to support the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and to implement rural development projects in the Oriental and Beni Mellal-Khenifra regions. Moreover, Arab funds, such as the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the Saudi Fund for Development, provided support amounting to 78 million dollars to finance some operations of the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities in rural areas in the regions of Drâa-Tafilalet, Souss-Massa, and Marrakech-Safi.

 

Indicators of Improved Territorial Justice During the 2017-2023 Period

The Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities focused on the regional dimension to strengthen public efforts based on regional plans that identify each region’s needs and mechanisms to address developmental deficits compared to the national average and leading regions. In this context, the program served as a framework for developing the territorial approach in light of the significant progress in advanced regionalization and administrative deconcentration, representing one of the most promising partnerships between the state and regions. It acted as a mechanism to implement shared competencies in critical areas, such as providing potable water, electricity, and infrastructure to isolated rural areas.

Thanks to the program’s projects, regions were able to mobilize significant resources to activate some of their competencies, particularly those related to building, improving, and maintaining unclassified roads, acquiring school transport units, and enhancing educational and health institutions. The participatory approach provided an opportunity to align the intentions of central and regional actors around territorial development projects selected and developed based on the actual needs of the local area, within an integrated vision to include vulnerable areas in national and regional development dynamics.

The results achieved during the period between 2017 and 2023 led to the development of seven annual work programs for rural development [17], accomplished within a participatory framework overseen by the National Committee for Rural Development and Mountainous Areas and regional councils, with a financial envelope totaling 48 billion dirhams by the end of 2023, constituting 96% of the program’s financial envelope. The completed projects enabled reaching 14 million rural inhabitants distributed across 1,066 rural communes, representing 83% of territorial communes in Morocco, and 91 urban communes experiencing regular interactions and flows from rural populations [18].

Awaiting the final evaluation of the program to measure its actual impact in reducing disparities, in light of effectiveness, sustainability, efficiency indicators, and territorial inequality mapping data [19], general indicators demonstrate the Program for Reducing Territorial and Social Disparities’ contribution to enhancing the territorial qualification rates of targeted communes. Specifically, 241 communes classified under priorities 1, 2, and 3 in 2016 moved to priorities 5 and 6 by 2022, resulting in an increase in the number of communes with overall basic services from 502 in 2016 to 743 currently, representing a 48% increase [20]. Moreover, its methodological impact reinforces national strategic coherence and sectoral and territorial programs aimed at enhancing territorial fairness in leveraging opportunities and natural and economic resources [21].

Regarding alleviating isolation, efforts led to increasing rural accessibility to 90%, through the construction and repair of over 18,300 kilometers of roads and paths, and equipping 165 technical facilities that strengthened connectivity between many isolated areas. This resulted in a 50% reduction in road closure days, decreasing from 24.5 to 12.2 days [22]. Projects aimed at alleviating isolation also stimulated agricultural and non-agricultural economic activities in rural areas, facilitating access to social services in targeted areas, significantly reducing travel time to educational institutions by 16%, and increasing the frequency of beneficiary families’ visits to healthcare facilities from 8.4 visits annually in 2016 to 9.8 in 2023, with a notable 59% reduction in neonatal mortality rates [23].

In connection with that, the program expanded healthcare provision by completing 745 construction and repair projects for healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of over 182 health centers, 167 maternity homes, and 81 maternal care homes. Existing health units were also repaired and equipped with necessary medical equipment, in addition to providing over 647 medical facilities, 447 mobile medical units, and 759 ambulances. Concerning educational infrastructure, completed projects involved the construction and repair of approximately 2,700 school facilities, including the construction and maintenance of more than 1,500 educational units comprising over 3,200 classrooms, equipped with 393 educational materials. This included the construction of 57 rural libraries, 81 student homes, and 803 staff housing units, as well as the acquisition of approximately 886 school transport carts in beneficiary rural communes [24]. These projects contributed to achieving a five-point increase in the school enrollment rate, which reached 77%. Moreover, the rate of rural girls’ enrollment gradually increased in targeted areas, jumping to 60% with a 15% increase compared to 2017 [25].

On the other hand, the program assisted in strengthening essential public networks by completing 25,236 operations to provide drinking water, including individual and mixed connections, and the drilling and maintenance of 655 drinking water systems [26]. This sequentially helped reduce the distance and time required for water supply by 81% and 82%, respectively, with a significant improvement in drinking water quality reaching 95% at the individual connection level and 65% at the fountain level [27]. Regarding rural electricity, the program extended the electricity network by approximately 1,000 kilometers, electrifying 821 villages in mountainous areas, thereby increasing the number of Category 6 communities by connection to electricity from 816 in 2016 to 1,212 by the end of 2022, an increase of nearly 400 communities [28].

On a social level, it is difficult to conclusively judge the direct impact of the program on improving social development indicators amidst multiple initiatives. However, it cannot be denied that the gradual establishment of infrastructure, facilities, and public amenities in marginalized areas has contributed to alleviating social disparities. Interventions implemented within the mentioned program have helped mitigate unemployment issues, creating over 103 million workdays and 234,000 direct and indirect job opportunities [29]. Additionally, rural populations have shown increased interest in agricultural activities due to road repairs and improvements in pathways. There has been a significant decline in extreme poverty and economic vulnerability, with the poverty rate dropping from 4.8% to 1.7% and vulnerability from 12.5% to 7.9% [30]. Much of this decline is attributed to projects implemented under the program for reducing social and regional disparities, alongside initiatives such as the National Human Development Initiative, the Social Protection and Cohesion Support Fund, and social sector interventions.

Simultaneously, the program has helped activate developmental dynamics in targeted areas, alongside other public and regional strategies and programs, enhancing the contribution of regions to wealth production. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth achieved by the twelve regions averaged 4.71% annually, with five regions exceeding this average: Draa-Tafilalet (6.44%), Oriental (6.29%), Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra (10.56%), Guelmim-Oued Noun (7.30%), and Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab (6.54%) [31].

 

Figure 2: Evolution of Regional Contribution to Gross Domestic Product during the Period 2015-2021

Source: Supreme Audit Institution Report on Advanced Regionalization, 2023, p. 29.

 

However, the general reading of the implications of this development indicates an increasing intensity of disparities between regions regarding wealth creation. The three regions within the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima axis contribute more than 58% of the gross domestic product compared to 42% for the rest of the regions [32]. The average absolute gap between the gross domestic product of different regions and the regional average gross domestic product increased from 66.4 billion dirhams in 2020 to 71.8 billion dirhams in 2021 [34]. In this context, the effectiveness of measures taken to bridge the gap between national territories is questioned in light of the worsening “macro-territorial” disparities between wealthy and weaker regions, and “micro-territorial” disparities between urban and rural areas within the same region [33].

 

The Persistence of Gaps Across National Territories: Manifestations and Underlying Causes

The significant progress made in bridging the developmental gap between national territories does not imply steady progress on the path of territorial justice in light of indicators suggesting the reproduction of complex situations of inequality between regions and territories in the distribution of investments, resources, public projects, and their economic and social impacts. Many regions still lag far behind in catching up with the developmental pace of leading regions due to the persistent dominance of central concerns in investment distribution, thus perpetuating and transmitting inequality from one generation to the next. Three regions (Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, and Marrakech-Safi) accumulate 61% of national investments, while the remaining nine regions suffice with 39% [35].

On the infrastructure level, the efforts made to alleviate isolation in many areas through road construction and enhancement projects are undeniable. However, these efforts have not prevented an increase in the disparity index in rural areas, where many regions still record rates higher than the national average (3 kilometers). For instance, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (4.3 km) and the East (4.1 km) exhibit higher levels of isolation compared to other regions with greater accessibility like Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (1.4 km) [37]. Furthermore, the focus on improving geographical isolation may conceal existing economic isolation indicators, as there are no regional or inter-regional railway and necessary highway projects to strengthen logistical competitiveness and attract investments. Overall, interventions aimed at improving accessibility lack productive investment, limiting the establishment of technical facilities and reception infrastructures in rural areas, such as economic and craft activity zones and model spaces for marketing local products.

Disparities in the localization of facilities perpetuate deep imbalances in the distribution of human resources across territorial areas. The current distribution of civil state employees across regions exhibits significant variations, with five regions accounting for approximately 68% [38], while the remaining seven regions only have about 32% of the total civilian workforce [39]. These disparities in the deployment of competencies and senior staff have profound implications for the enjoyment of rights and services. For example, despite significant progress in establishing healthcare infrastructure in rural areas worldwide, it continues to lack the required effectiveness due to the absence or shortage of medical and nursing staff in many health units. This necessitates incentivizing healthcare professionals to settle in remote areas, accelerating regional training and employment patterns [40]. Moreover, the direct repercussions of these disparities affect territorial management mechanisms and the leadership of development programs. Concentrating staff in central administrations and major cities leaves other regions lacking the necessary human resources for implementing territorial development projects, negatively impacting major programs aimed at reducing territorial and social disparities [41].

The relative reduction in social disparities cannot overshadow the social cost of persisting demographic and economic imbalances that cast shadows on the enjoyment of social rights in vulnerable areas [42]. Regional disparities in investment localization result in stark differences in access to employment. Five regions encompass 72.6% of the total active population aged 15 and above, led by Casablanca-Settat (22.2%) and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (13.7%). Conversely, these five regions account for over 71.4% of the unemployed [43]. There is also a noted decline in social cohesion among residents of semi-urban and rural areas, where development disparities create a common sense of marginalization from regional development, fueling social tensions [44]. This is particularly evident in the widening human development gaps between “privileged” regions like Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, and weaker regions such as Draa-Tafilalet and Beni Mellal-Khenifra, especially concerning health indicators [45]. For instance, excluding Guelmim-Oued Noun and Fès-Meknes, the remaining regions show low rates of medical and semi-medical examinations. Furthermore, over a third of doctors are concentrated in Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, which increases to around 70% when adding Marrakesh-Safi and Fès-Meknes. Disparities between urban and rural areas in the distribution of medical and semi-medical teams are more than double in Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, and more than twice as much as in Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra [46].

Accordingly, the concentration of development in certain areas has serious repercussions on the need for territorial balance. As investments, facilities, and major infrastructures are concentrated in certain areas, demographic pressure is intensified and migration to industrial centers is fuelled. Urban network efficiency is affected by various urban and social aspects, such as urbanization imbalances in the context of increasing informal housing and the exacerbation of unstructured activities. Additionally, the potential security impacts arise from the accumulation of poverty and exclusion in marginalized neighborhoods, making them fertile ground for the resurgence of terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking [47]. This exacerbates the divide between “metropolitan” cities struggling with unsustainable population density, affecting their quality of life and slowing down urban rehabilitation programs, and smaller and medium-sized cities gradually losing their economic and social functions. Meanwhile, rural areas suffer from a dual and simultaneous hemorrhage: demographic hemorrhage due to ongoing rural migration and the resulting void, and economic hemorrhage due to successive droughts, deterioration of natural resources, and challenges in the transformation of agricultural activities.

In this regard, we highlight structural constraints that fuel the dilemma of social and territorial disparities [48], such as the existing disparities in localizing major projects and logistical hubs. This necessarily makes benefiting regions more attractive for investments and more capable of providing employment opportunities. The predominance of a rural character in Morocco’s decentralized system is evident with rural areas hosting approximately 85% of territorial communities [49], despite many rural communities suffering from chronic financial deficits. Moreover, there are managerial difficulties that hinder the effectiveness of territorial justice programs, due to limited attention to participatory diagnoses in identifying local needs, project delays caused by some partners’ failure to fulfill financial commitments, laxity in monitoring ongoing operations, and limited evaluation of completed interventions and their impact on reducing disparities. In light of this, diversifying approaches to achieve territorial justice is essential to move from addressing symptoms of territorial disparities to eradicating the underlying causes of this issue, which may reproduce itself at a faster pace than the effects of adopted strategies.

 

Territorial Justice Entitlements Amid Current Challenges

The equity program has provided a strong impetus to territorial justice dynamics in Morocco. While it has contributed to mitigating developmental disparities between urban and rural areas, it has not effectively “combat” them despite the resources and means allocated over seven years. This is in the face of widening gaps within national territories, necessitating a reevaluation of the approach through a combination of “corrective measures” to bridge gaps and “strategic solutions” to eradicate the underlying causes of disparity. According to the High Commission for Planning, reducing territorial inequality by half requires approximately a quarter century of continuous effort [50]. This challenge demands adopting multiple approaches to address this dilemma, which not only impacts the prospects of vulnerable territorial areas but also burdens the country’s overall growth [51]:

• Adaptation of territorial division: Part of the financial weakness of impoverished authorities and communities is linked to the non-developmental nature of territorial division, which has produced dysfunctional units lacking the basic prerequisites for growth. This is due to limited financial resources, connectivity networks, and reception structures that exacerbate their isolation and make them dependent on state support to rectify budgetary imbalances, complemented by public policies aimed at addressing their specific needs. Therefore, achieving any balance within national territories requires revising the standards used in the territorial division to enhance the efficiency of creating conducive environments equipped with the material bases for development. This entails focusing on reducing the factors perpetuating disparities between regions, which hide “micronational” gaps that may exert more pressure than the existing developmental rifts between regions [52]. This necessitates balancing the development of regions within the same province with regional centralization, which reproduces the disadvantages of centralization through fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities of social value among and within territorial areas [53].
• Reviewing the Territorial Planning Policy: Territorial equity imperatives are posed as a constitutional principle to ensure balanced distribution conditions for populations, resources, priority projects, and essential infrastructure. This particularly applies to priority sectors such as health, addressing the imbalances in the healthcare map in line with the requirements of territorial justice, given the continued concentration of most public and private health institutions in major cities, especially Rabat and Casablanca [54]. Similarly, in higher education, establishing integrated regional university hubs as a fundamental lever to enhance economic and social integration at the territorial level and to improve the economic attractiveness of regions in light of the Advanced Regionalization Project [55]. Adopting a new vision for rural policies that balance agricultural sector development and promote non-agricultural activities through expanding transportation and communication networks and establishing robust reception structures to enhance the attractiveness of rural areas as living and investment spaces [56]. This includes considering territorial justice in water resources, accelerating the pace of linking water systems across the national territory to overcome territorial concentration of surface water inputs in specific areas over others, while adapting the National Water Supply and Irrigation Program 2020-2027 to meet new water security imperatives [57], and addressing other developmental needs that require remediation to achieve greater coherence between regional planning frameworks and national documents and plans for territorial development and sustainable development.
• Enhancing Territorial Localization of Investment: Ongoing reforms promise to address regional balance requirements in establishing major reception infrastructures. The government has approved a series of agreements to create 12 industrial zones across seven regions, covering a total area of approximately 1200 hectares [58]. This effort must be accompanied by the establishment of production, logistics, and distribution infrastructures. Moreover, it aims to enhance territorial competitiveness in marginalized regions and areas. The deployment of new mechanisms introduced by the Investment Charter is expected to help narrow the gap between different regions in attracting investments, through the provision of “territorial grants” (primes territoriales) for projects implemented in priority areas. This initiative emphasizes integration among ministerial sectors, regional investment centers, and regional councils to develop a territorial system that stimulates investment according to the specificities, needs, and capabilities of each region and province. Necessary guarantees will be put in place to increase the contribution of local investment in substantiating the reduction of disparities between national averages and regional rates in economic and social indicators related to employment, healthcare, education, training, and other essential services and substantive rights.
•         Redirecting Advanced Regionalism: Reducing territorial development disparities requires tailored interventions that correspond to the territorial realities of each region [59]. This entails embedding the challenge of reducing developmental gaps within the framework of advanced regionalism. Without this integration, regional projects in Morocco will fall short of achieving their intended goals as pillars for balanced territorial development. Recognizing this, the second recommendation from the outcomes of the first national dialogue on advanced regionalism called for prioritizing territorial justice in public and regional policies to reduce territorial and social disparities. The dialogue also led to the drafting of a charter to activate regional competencies, laying the groundwork for signing program contracts between the state and regions as an effective mechanism to institutionalize efforts for territorial justice [60]. However, the dominance of a centralized perspective necessitates strengthening legislative guarantees to enhance the contractual approach between the central and regional sides in bridging developmental gaps in the neediest regions.

Furthermore, mechanisms for territorial solidarity are directed toward achieving a balance between wealthy and disadvantaged regions. This includes activating both the solidarity fund between regions and social rehabilitation, enhancing their resources, and reviewing the criteria for their distribution by reducing disparities a specific criterion in adopting a special system for scoring and classification. This will be complemented by establishing a monitoring and evaluation system to measure achieved results and assess the management of credits allocated to each region [61]. Additionally, there is a pressing need to develop systems of solidarity and territorial budgeting that consider the nature of available resources, sustainability indicators, and fairness. This involves establishing a fund to enhance solidarity between rural communities and a mechanism for solidarity between municipal councils and provinces, inspired by the French experience that successfully managed to control territorial disparities to a certain extent through diversifying mechanisms of solidarity and budgeting.

In the same context, the current relevance of expanding the experience of regional observatories for territorial dynamics (ORDT) as a framework for supervising studies and essential reports to analyze and address data related to measuring the extent of disparities and identifying the impacts of territorial justice programs, in coordination and collaboration with the National Observatory for Territorial Dynamics (ONDT) [62].

However, such mechanisms remain compensatory and transitional, based on taking necessary measures to eradicate the inherited roots of disparities between territorial areas. Foremost among these measures is strengthening local financial independence by enhancing the self-resources of regions and local communities in general, such as valuing territorial real estate assets and employing them in partnerships with public and private stakeholders, while considering territorial disparities when expanding local tax bases [63]. This includes incentivizing collaboration among communities in valuing intangible heritage, natural resources, and socio-cultural assets abundant in various regions experiencing growth rates below the national average within a new approach to territorial development that reinforces the efforts of various territorial actors in developing projects to eradicate deep-seated disparities [64]. Special attention is given to achieving balance between urban and rural areas by enhancing integration between sectoral strategies and territorial programs, aiming to direct national development efforts towards addressing social and territorial disparities [65].

On the other hand, it is necessary to reconsider the economic model of regions towards enhancing their competitiveness and strengthening their ability to attract domestic and international private investments [66]. Alongside the obligations of crystallizing the national development model, it may be appropriate in the future to establish territorial development models that suit the specificities of regions at various economic, social, environmental, and cultural levels, especially in light of the encouraging outcomes of the developmental model for southern regions, which led to the implementation, between 2015 and 2023, of a series of structured projects in the three regions in the fields of infrastructure enhancement, networks, human and social development, with a financial envelope approaching 90 billion dirhams [67]. Lessons from this experience can be consulted in adopting tailored developmental experiments according to the specificities, scale, and type of regions, achieving maximum alignment between sectoral policies and territorial programs to narrow the gap between national averages and regional/local rates of human development.

 

Conclusion

The quantitative outcomes of the program aimed at reducing territorial and social disparities demonstrate a significant improvement in narrowing the developmental gap between urban and rural areas. Efforts to strengthen connectivity with public networks and basic social services have contributed to improving human development indicators in mountainous and remote regions. This improvement has helped alleviate territorial divides between affluent and disadvantaged regions through local investment localization, establishment of facilities, and public infrastructure, thereby positively impacting social cohesion following waves of social protests fueled by situations of exclusion and marginalization in various territorial pockets. However, alongside this improvement, some interventions threaten to reproduce the “territorial divide” as the gradual hollowing out of functions in rural centers and small to medium-sized towns continues, while most development projects are directed towards major urban centers. This poses a risk of revitalizing the center-periphery perspective that has long perpetuated gaps within and between national territorial areas.

The territorial justice is not merely a numbers game that can be solved by minor adjustments in poverty, unemployment, and exclusion indicators. Rather, it serves as a litmus test for the effectiveness of public policies, necessitating a balance between formulating an integrated national strategy to uproot territorial disparities at their source by bolstering regional foundations in policy-making, resource allocation, and public investment, and enacting a comprehensive set of corrective measures for the benefit of disadvantaged regions and entities, while strengthening solidarity mechanisms among local communities. In this context, the following proposals are put forward:

• Developing a “territorial differentiation” approach by prioritizing less-equipped areas in ongoing projects, such as the National Investment Strategy, Integrated National Plan for Logistics Regions, and programs expanding university and healthcare provision.
• Amending Article 48 of Legislative Law No. 13-130 on the Finance Act to include a report on territorial justice in the documents accompanying the annual Finance Act, aiding in targeting the state’s general budget to reduce developmental disparities between national territorial areas.
• Widening the scope of regional observatories for territorial dynamics and reinforcing their role as a framework for coordination and dialogue on priorities for reducing territorial disparities within and between regions, enhancing their integration with the National Observatory for Territorial Dynamics through a balanced composition ensuring representation of ministerial sectors, public institutions, local communities, oversight bodies, and governance entities.
• Issuing periodic reports on shifts in territorial disparities between regions, with the Council of Advisers tasked with monitoring the implementation of recommendations related to achieving territorial justice.
• Formulating a calculation formula for measuring developmental disparities, making it a guiding element for sectoral programs and local communities, particularly regions in the distribution of resources, investments, and public facilities, thereby preventing the reproduction of a center-periphery model at the territorial level between the core of the region and its periphery.

Footnotes

[1] Brahim Labari, From Inequalities to Indignation, Economy Magazine, HEM Research Center, October 2017, p.14.

 [2] Territorial Distribution of Public Investment in the Context of Advanced Regionalization, and the Role of Regional Investment Centers in Developing and Formulating Regional Development Plans, and Enhancing Investment and Improving the Business Environment at the Regional Level Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Ref. 2015/17, 2015, p.18.

 [3] Royal Message Addressed to Participants in the Second Arab Ministerial Forum on Housing and Urban Development on December 21, 2017. https://cuts.top/CKH4

[4] Annual Report of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, 2015, p.54.

[5] Rural Development: Challenges and Prospects, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Self-referral Ref. 2017/29, 2017, p.11.

[6] Report on Social and Territorial Disparities, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, 2017, p.130.

 [7] Lhassan Badri, Decentralization in Morocco: Perspectives for Local Governance and Territorial Development? The Case of Advanced Regionalization, Doctoral Thesis in Territorial Sciences, University of Grenoble Alpes, 2019, p.246.

[8] Performance Efficiency Project, Draft Finance Law for 2019, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, 2018, p.9.

[9] Salaheddine Lemaizi, Territorial Disparity Reduction: Visionless Programs? French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco, December 7, 2018, https://cuts.top/AATh

[10] Performance Efficiency Project, Draft Finance Law for 2023, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, 2022, p.101.

[11] The National Committee includes ministries of Agriculture, Interior, Economy and Finance, Equipment and Water, Health and Social Protection, National Education, Primary Education and Sports, representatives of the National Initiative for Human Development, and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water.

[12] Rural Development: Mountainous Regions, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Ref. 2017/21, May 2018, p.22.

[13] Regional Committees for Rural Development and Mountainous Areas consist of governors, governors, presidents of regional councils, regional administrative representations of ministries, and regional directorates of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water.

[14] Memorandum on the Introduction of the Draft Finance Law for 2018, Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2017, p.44.

[15] Intervention by the Head of Government at the Monthly Accountability Session of the Council of Advisors on the Outcome of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program and its Role in Rural and Mountainous Development. December 19, 2023, p.7. Available at: https://www.cg.gov.ma/ar/node/11596

[16] Performance Efficiency Project, Draft Finance Law for 2023, previous reference, p.98.

[17] Saïd Naoumi, Assessment of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program Coming Soon, lematin.ma, February 26, 2024, https://cuts.top/CnQx

[18] Lina Ibriz, Reduction of Territorial Disparities: What Has Been Achieved to Date, According to Aziz Akhannouch, ledesk.ma, December 20, 2023. https://cuts.top/CssH

[19] Mehdi Idrissi, Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program: Time for Assessment for the Ministry of Agriculture, LesEco.Ma, February 21, 2024, https://cuts.top/ABJH

[20] The outcome of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program, previous reference, p.14.

[21] Mohamed Badrane, Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction: Time for Assessment, aujourdhui.ma, February 1, 2024,https://cuts.top/CoJl

 [22] Fahd Iraki, 32 Billion Dirhams Spent in Five Years to Transform the Rural World, le360.ma, January 15, 2022,https://cuts.top/CtEi

[23] The outcome of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program, previous reference, p. 15.

[24] Memorandum on the Draft Finance Law for the Year 2024, Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2023, p. 70.

[25] Khalid Fatihi, Disparity Reduction Program Raises Rural Girl Enrollment Rate to 60%, Madar 21, January 4, 2022. Available at:https://madar21.com/46365.html

[26] Intervention by the Head of Government at the Monthly Accountability Session of the Council of Advisors on the Charter of Administrative Decentralization and the Challenge of Territorial and Social Justice, June 20, 2023, p. 17. Available at:https://www.cg.gov.ma/ar/node/11300

[27] Sofiane Razik, Key Achievements of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program in the Rural World, Al Omk Morocco, April 14, 2022. Available at: https://al3omk.com/739536.html

[28] Regarding the Outcome of the Territorial and Social Disparity Reduction Program, previous reference, p. 11.

[29] Wiam Faraj, Minister of the Interior: Reducing Territorial Disparities Requires Parallel Programs, Maghreb Arab News Agency, December 6, 2022. https://snrtnews.com/article/61292

[30] Activation of Advanced Regionalization: Legal and Institutional Framework, Mechanisms and Resources, Supreme Audit Institution, October 2023, p. 30.

[31] Previous reference, p. 29.

[32] Concerns the regions of Casablanca-Settat (32%), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (16%), and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (10%).

[33] Report on the Activities of the Supreme Audit Institution for the Years 2022-2023, December 2023, p. 132.

[34] Regional Accounts: Regional Gross Domestic Product and Final Consumption Expenditure by Households, High Commission for Planning, September 2023, p. 3.

[35] El Jalali Chabih, Study and Analysis of the Economic, Social, and Geographic Reality in Morocco, Journal of Law and International Business, January 5, 2024. Available at: https://cuts.top/CKTW

[36] Calculation of the Distance between Dwellings and Paved Roads, Especially in Rural Areas; the Stronger and More Extensive the Road Network, the Higher the Access Rate, and in the Case of Rough Paths, the Isolation Index Worsens.

[37] Zouhir Nammi and Rachid Adou, Territorial Justice in the Distribution of Facilities and Services within the Framework of Advanced Regionalization, Moroccan Journal of Legal and Economic Studies, Issue 6, 2020, p. 152.

[38] Concerns the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (21%), Casablanca-Settat (14.8%), Fes-Meknes (12.3%), Marrakech-Safi (10.8%), and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (9.4%).

[39] Report on Human Resources, Draft Finance Law for the Year 2024, Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2023, p. 41.

[40] Dynamics “Towards Upholding Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights” Report within the Comprehensive Review of Morocco (Fourth Cycle) for 2022, Moroccan Organization for Human Rights, 2022, pp. 16-17.

[41] Noureddine Zahyi, The Middle Class in Light of Long-Term Changes in Moroccan Society, in Social, Cultural, and Political Transformations in Morocco, coordinated by Abdelrahman Alal and Amina Bougalbi, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, 2022, p. 36.

[42] Ouazzani Ahmed, Chafik Bakour, Riad Abadli, Development Dynamics and Regional Disparities in Morocco, Journal of Financial, Accounting, and Managerial Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2019, p. 138.

[43] For Homogeneous and Inclusive Development of Territorial Areas: Basic Change Approaches, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Self-referral Ref. 2023/69, p. 15.

[44] Abdelhafid Mammouh, Protests on the Margins: The Surface and What It Hides, Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis, Seen on March 30, 2024. https://mipa.institute/5495

[45] Larabi Jaidi, Socio-Spatial Cohesion: Imperatives for Policy Coherence? Economia-HEM, 2023, p. 136.

[46] Sakina Essaadiqi, Report Paints a Grim Picture of Moroccan Access to Health Services, Hespress, April 21, 2022.https://cuts.top/CBLU

[47] El Jalali Chabih, Study and Analysis of the Economic, Social, and Geographic Reality in Morocco, previous reference.

[48] Parliamentary Approach to the New Development Model for the Kingdom of Morocco, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Referral No. 2019/24, p. 18.

[49] Rural World Development: Challenges and Prospects, previous reference, p. 9.

[50] Report on Social and Territorial Disparities, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, 2017, p. 129.

[51] Social and Regional Disparities: Keys to Understanding and Challenges and Answers to Public Policies, Journal of Finance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, No. 35, August 2019, p. 54.

[52] Larabi Jaidi, Socio-Spatial Cohesion: Imperatives for Policy Coherence? Economia-HEM, 2023, p. 139.

[53] Mohamed Oubloush, Democracy and Development in Morocco: What Role for Territorial Justice in Strengthening Democracy: Conceptual Study and Comparison, African Studies and Nile Basin, Volume 3/Number 10 January/February 2021, p. 345.

[54] Abdelhafid Mammouh, Morocco’s New Social Protection Policy: A Rights-Based Approach, Arab Organization for Constitutional Law, Policy Paper, 2023, p. 14.

[55] Charter of Administrative Decentralization and the Challenge of Territorial and Social Justice, previous reference, p. 24.

[56] Ministry of National Spatial Planning, Urbanism, Housing and City Policy, preparation of the report “Territorial Dynamics and Disparities, 2018, p.43.

[57] Maghreb Arab Press Agency, Government tackling the water stress issue and ensuring the supply of potable water to various regions of the kingdom, March 8, 2024, National Portal. https://cuts.top/BQVX

[58] Concerning the region of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Fès-Meknes region, Oriental region, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, and Guelmim-Oued Noun region, while currently studying a group of industrial infrastructure projects in the remaining regions that have not yet been signed.

[59] Requirements of advanced regionalization and challenges of integrating sectoral policies, Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Self-referral No. 2016/22, p. 93.

[60] The financial envelope for the signed program contracts amounts to 23.57 billion dirhams, including the contribution of the regions (8.63) and the contribution of the ministerial sectors (11.52): Introduction memorandum of the draft Finance Law for the year 2023, Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2022, p. 120.

[61] Requirements of advanced regionalization and challenges of integrating sectoral policies, previous reference, p. 100.

[62] Nestor Alfonzo Santamaria and Elsa Rother, Synthesis report on the OECD’s support in the establishment and development of the National Risk Observatory in Morocco, OECD, February 22, 2024, p. 39.

[63] A Fiscal System, a pillar for the New Development Model, Report of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Self-Referral 39/2019, p. 13.

[64] An analysis of spatio-temporal dynamics of development in Morocco (1999-2014), Ministry of National Spatial Planning, Urbanism, Housing and City Policy, 2018, p. 49.

[65] Territorial disparities in social development in Morocco, regional analysis, National Observatory of Human Development, 2017, p. 156.

[66] Regions in the New Global Environment: From Crisis to Resilience. The Case of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, OECD, 2023, p. 21.

[67] Introduction memorandum of the draft Finance Law for the year 2024, Ministry of Economy and Finance, 2023, p. 137.