A Probe Into The Moroccan Economic Readjustment And Political Reforms

The Kingdom of Morocco, lying across the Strait of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean and looking out on the Atlantic from the northwest shoulder of Africa, is prominently characterized with diversified cultures due to its convenient and frequent exchanges with countries in Africa, Arabia, and Europe. Even though Morocco is among the first Islamic Arab countries that stated economic readjustment and political reforms, insufficient academic attention has been given to these aspects. Therefore, a study on the Moroccan economic readjustment and political reforms will not only fill up a blank in this field but also provide insightful reference for the developing countries that share similar national conditions with Morocco.This article will conduct a comprehensive and in—depth analysis of the development of and the features of the Moroccan economy, the attributes of the Moroccan politics, and the Moroccan democratization so as to present a panorama of the economic and political situations in Morocco. With regard to the economy, Morocco has adopted the policies of enterprise privatization and unrestricted trade, which on the one hand, have both alleviated its fiscal crisis and revitalized its economy, on the other hand, owing to the neglect of the people's livelihood, have induced high unemployment, massive poverty and proliferation of corruption and thus jeopardized the stability of the society. Therefore, the future development of the Moroccan domestic economy should be market—oriented while regulated by the government. More efforts should be made to achieve healthy economic development as well as balance the development and the social justice. Moreover, while the country is opening up to the outside world, priorities ought to be given to the independence and the enhancement of the domestic economy so as to avoid potential economic danger caused by the globalization.In response to the demands for political reforms both from home and from abroad, the Moroccan government has tried to carry out democratization by twice amending the constitution, practicing multi—party system and competitive elections, expanding freedom of expression, and improving the human rights situation as well. These reforms have achieved substantial significance in easing social contradictions and promoting political progress. Compared with the rapid and dramatic economic readjustment, the political reforms in Morocco, however, have been cautious and moderate. Accordingly, this article argues that two distinctive features of the political development of Morocco are the formation of a stable political system and the progress based on the stability. With the long process of the transition to democratic politics considered, any country at the phase of political transition, whether republic or monarchy, has to face up with the challenge of reducing and minimizing the cost of political development while resolving the contradictions between political democratization and social stability. In this respect, Morocco undeniably provides a successful model.