Reform of financial control and governance of State Owned Enterprises in Morocco

Abstract

The objective of our theoretical research work is to present the results of the implementation of the reform which concerned the state financial control and the rules of governance of State Owned Public Enterprises (SOE) applied from 2003 to 2021. The assessment will be presented in light of the objectives announced by this reform, carried out mainly by Law No. 69-00 relating to the state financial control over public enterprises and other organizations. We adopted a methodological approach of scoping review based on a documentary review of the various legal texts and reports produced by national and international institutions on the reform of the financial control and governance of State Owned Enterprises as we mobilized, in particular, the theory of New Public Management (NPM), the theory of the Agency and that of Governance, to understand the design and fundamentals of this reform.

Indeed, this assessment highlights a partial achievement of the objectives of Law No. 69-00 and a limited application of its main provisions, particularly with regards to the migration to ex-post financial control, the establishment and effectiveness of management instruments and the improvement of the governance of SOEs, illustrated by the dynamics of the governance bodies and the establishment of audit committees. This situation could be explained by the existence of constraints specific to certain SOEs or their environment and by some limits linked to the transposition of the NPM model to the public sector in Morocco.

Keywords : Reform, Public entreprise, Financial control, Governance

JEL Classification : L32 

Paper type: Theoretical Research