ABSTRACT
Like many other transition countries, Morocco is a prime target for democracy promoters. In light of the ongoing democracy promotion efforts in Morocco, this study seeks to analyse the range of measures for political party assistance applied by three major providers, two of which style themselves as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and one of which is an intergovernmental organization (IGO). To estimate the likely effects of the various measures of assistance, we distinguish between those trying to (a) professionalize party activities in the respective institutional setting, (b) initiate a change of formal-legal rules defining the institutional setting, and (c) establish and intensify party linkages with society. Using these categories to examine political party assistance in a ‘hybrid’ regime (that combines competitive elections with non-democratic or authoritarian elements) reveals two problems from the viewpoint of provider organizations who apply such assistance as a means of democracy promotion. First, there is a lack of clear incentives, which may result in a failure by the targeted party elites to establish party organizations incorporating citizens in their internal decision-making processes; and secondly, the successful professionalization of the political parties may lead unintentionally to maintaining the hybrid nature of such regimes rather than supporting further democratization.
