Regional Disparities In Human Development: The Case Of Moroccan Regions

Abstract Purpose of the study: This study has three objectives: a) to draw up a typology of the 10 regions of Morocco according to their level of human development; b) to develop a synthetic regional indicator, and c) to measure the extent of regional disparities in terms of human development. Methodology: The analysis uses statistical indicators from the household panel survey conducted in 2017 by the National Human Development Observatory in Morocco. The Principal Component Analysis (conducted using the SPSS statistics V23 software) is used to draw a typology of regions according to their level of human development. It is also used to develop a regional composite indicator. As regards the measurement of the degree of regional inequalities, the Gini index is adopted. Main Findings: The typological cartography and the composite index developed showed the coexistence of three strata of regions with three levels of human development: low, medium, and high. The calculation of a fairly strong Gini index raises the gravity of these inequalities. The main sources of inequality are an inequitable distribution of living standards and unbalanced access to basic social amenities. Research implications: Today, in Morocco, an ad hoc committee responsible for the new development model is collecting, arranging, and structuring the recommendations of the various actors and drawing up their conclusions. The present study is a contribution that aims to place the human being at the heart of this model. The eradication of regional disparities in terms of human development, particularly in terms of standard of living and access to basic equipment is a priority. Novelty/Originality: This paper examines regional disparities through the prism of human development. The works which have dealt with this subject at the level of Morocco have focused on income as a standard for measuring inequalities. This study does not abandon income, but it aims to be multidimensional as soon as it integrates other no less decisive dimensions on people’s lives