• Commentary
  • Research
  • Experts
  • Events
Carnegie China logoCarnegie lettermark logo
{
  "authors": [
    "Intissar Fakir"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
    "Morocco"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

Other

Will ‘Lip Service’ Reforms End Up Changing Morocco’s Politics?

The net effect of recent reforms and development programs in Morocco has been minimal, and that is largely by design.

Link Copied
By Intissar Fakir
Published on Dec 15, 2016

Source: World Politics Review

For as long as many Moroccans can remember, they have been told that their country is moving toward reform. They have likewise heard about the government’s near-constant efforts to advance social and political development. But the net effect of these reforms and development programs, particularly in the political realm, has been minimal. That’s largely by design. 

When King Mohammed VI ascended to the throne in 1999, he allowed greater freedoms of the press and enacted meaningful social reforms, such as the 2004 revision of the family code, which granted women greater rights and legal protections. He also oversaw efforts to address human rights violations committed during the rule of his father, Hassan II. Along with improving economic indicators, Morocco began to witness stronger respect for human rights and some social progress, including reduced poverty and infant mortality and improved literacy rates...

Read the full article at World Politics Review.

About the Author

Intissar Fakir

Former Fellow, Middle East Program, Editor in Chief, Sada

Intissar Fakir was a fellow and editor in chief of Sada in Carnegie’s Middle East Program.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    A Conflict That Time Forgot

      Intissar Fakir

  • Commentary
    Interview with Moroccan Human Rights Activist Maâti Monjib

      Maâti Monjib, Intissar Fakir

Intissar Fakir
Former Fellow, Middle East Program, Editor in Chief, Sada
Intissar Fakir
Political ReformEconomyNorth AfricaMorocco

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

  • Commentary
    How China’s Growth Model Determines Its Climate Performance

    Rather than climate ambitions, compatibility with investment and exports is why China supports both green and high-emission technologies.

      Mathias Larsen

  • Overproduction in China
    Commentary
    What’s New about Involution?

    “Involution” is a new word for an old problem, and without a very different set of policies to rein it in, it is a problem that is likely to persist.

      Michael Pettis

  • Commentary
    The Chinese Investment Riddle: What Cities Reveal

    While China's investment story seems contradictory from the outside, the real answers to Beijing's high-quality growth ambitions are hiding in plain sight across the nation's cities.

      Yuhan Zhang

  • Commentary
    Using China’s Central Government Balance Sheet to “Clean up” Local Government Debt Is a Bad Idea

    China's stimulus addiction cannot go on forever. Beijing still has policy space to clean up the country's massive debt issue, but time is running short.

      Michael Pettis

  • Image of Chinese Yuan
    Commentary
    Why China Should Revalue the Renminbi—And Why It Can’t Easily Do So

    A quick look at the complexities behind Beijing’s enduring Catch-22 situation with revaluing the Renminbi, despite advantages of a stronger currency.

      Michael Pettis

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
Carnegie China logo, white
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.