INSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TERRITORIAL PLANNING POLICIES: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

This research investigates the impact of institutional governance on the effectiveness of territorial planning policies in Morocco over the period 2010–2025, using an econometric approach based on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and its associated Error Correction Model (ECM). The empirical findings confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between governance quality, fiscal decentralization, public investment, and the performance of spatial planning policies. The results from the Bounds Test validate cointegration among the variables, while the ECM reveals a significant speed of adjustment toward equilibrium following institutional or economic shocks. However, the study also highlights several persistent challenges, including regional disparities, limited institutional coordination, and weak participation from the private sector and civil society. Despite ongoing institutional reforms, the effectiveness of territorial policies remains hindered by administrative and structural limitations. The findings underline the need for a more integrated, decentralized, and participatory governance framework to enhance the territorial development process. This study also opens new avenues for research into the role of digital technologies in improving governance and planning mechanisms in emerging economies like Morocco.