Do royal speeches in Morocco convey a collective vision for development? A two-level analysis based on critical discourse analysis and vision theory

Abstract Morocco has never adopted an official document that sets out a development vision with a defined horizon. Royal speeches, especially those delivered on Throne Day and at Parliament’s opening, guide policy and public action, even after 2021, when the new development model report proposed a national ambition for 2035. To our knowledge, no study has examined the royal speeches to determine whether they convey a vision of the future and whether that vision is built through a participatory approach. This research aims to address this gap, drawing on a review of vision theory, including critical success factors for a functional vision, critical discourse analysis, and document analysis. The findings show that the speeches communicate a dominant vision that articulates a long-term societal project grounded in the narrative of “Morocco in transition” and set orientations to guide the political agenda and synchronize collective action. Consultation with national actors and citizens precedes decisions on major national issues. This paper identifies a configuration of an anticipatory governance system in which the King has the legitimacy to decide on the preferred future on behalf of the nation. However, it does not examine the impact of royal speeches across all domains, which could be enriched by further research.