ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the major aspects of electoral authoritarianism in Morocco, in the light of recent governance reforms. It investigates the sociological foundations of new forms of authoritarian rule: to seek to understand the economic and political projects that devoted to and the consequences of projects for various social groups beyond the electoral arena'. The chapter also reviews the origins of popular riots in economic policies and political reforms starting in the 1990s. It argues that the Moroccan regime should be seen as one that displays 'the trappings but not the substance of effective democratic participation'. The chapter considers other areas of 'authoritarian upgrading', the government's policies in the areas of civil society, poverty reduction, decentralization and local governance, as well as urban renewal. It discusses the reforms and political developments under the reign of King Muhammad VI.
