Research Programs

The Policy Center for the New South aims to rethink the place of the new South within the New Globalization. Considered as paramount in neo-liberal capitalism, the latter seems more than ever to be understood today as a spatio-temporal context favorable to the propagation of systematic crises. This undermines the benefits of the international division of production with its effects of specialisation that have accompanied the expansion of trade globalization, while many States seem to be rediscovering the benefits of protectionism and isolationism. This program pays particular attention to Africa in the new globalization, as an autonomous geo-economic and geo-political entity freed from previous tutelage, which has pushed the continent to diversify its alliances, while offering a new alternative view to the neo-liberal conception of globalization, able to give an original impetus to contemporary international relations. It focuses particularly on Africa in the great global balances, the mutations within the African Union and the perspectives of reforms, the macroeconomics of the new South and finally the global and regional common public goods.

Subprograms :

- Africa in the New South
- Governance, Multilateralism, Multipolarity, the African Union and International Organizations
- Macroeconomics of the New South
- Global and Regional Public Goods

The Policy Center for the New South aims to rethink the autonomy of the African continent in an increasingly interdependent world, first because of the important African transitions that have taken place over the last twenty years, which have placed Africa as a key player in contemporary international relations. The second reason is the African Union’s reform in 2002, the entry into force of the African continental free trade area that will likely strengthen Africa’s place in international trade negotiations, the drafting of Agenda 2063 and the establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. This program envisages following the debate on the strategic autonomy of a continent that is beginning to impose itself as an autonomous geo-economic and geopolitical entity, free from previous tutelage, pushing the continent to diversify its alliances, in a world more than ever prey to the Sino-American rivalry that shapes the contemporary international order. The program pays particular attention to the power struggle on the African continent, Africa's strategic autonomy, regional strategic dynamics, and finally Africa in the wider Atlantic space.

Subprograms :

- Power Competition
- Africa’s Strategic Autonomy
- Regional Dynamics
- Africa in the wider Atlantic

The Policy Center for the New South aims to decipher internal African transformations in order to analyse the changes taking place in Africa. Encompassing a range of countries with many historical, cultural and demographic differences, and with significant gaps in development, the continent appears to be undergoing major political and socio-economic reconfigurations on an unprecedented scale. This supports the idea that a renewal of governance, that is able to take into account the needs of the new African society and contemporary Africa, is underway on the continent. The program envisages exploring the changes taking place in Africa with all their democratic, economic and societal connotations, in order to meet future African challenges, while placing the African citizen at the center of the new African development strategies. It focuses on the mutations of the State in Africa and the dynamics of African institutions, the transformations of African society, with a particular focus on the African society of the 21st century, intra-African power games, the peace-development-security nexus, and finally the inherent characteristics of the migration phenomenon.

Subprograms :

- State transformations and Dynamics of Institutions
- African Societies in the 21st Century
- Power Competition and Influences within Africa
- Peace-Development-Security Nexus
- Migration and Mobility in Africa

The Policy Center for The New South is committed to exploring the levers of African economic emergence in a changing world, thus solidifying the Center’s African focus. The Policy Center covers all dimensions of the structural transformation of the African productive systems, a sine qua non for improved well-being and inclusive growth. The challenge for the continent is twofold: substantially improving production processes to lift African populations out of precariousness, while adapting to the constraints of a globalization whose contours are ever-expanding. Among the main issues at stake are the question of integration with its multidimensional facets, natural resources and ecological transition, the green revolution and food security, human capital and the labor market, as well as research and innovation as necessary steps towards a better adaptation of technology to the local context.

Subprograms :

- Trade, Structural Transformations and Integration
- Ecological Transition and Natural Resources
- Agricultural and Food Security Policies
- Labor Market, Education and Social Inclusion
- Research and Innovation

The Policy Center for the New South takes an in-depth look at how to get the national economy off the ground and give a new impetus to the national production system, whose signs of running out of steam are ultimately affecting the social balance of the country. The key is to transform the productive system and move towards modern sectors of activity with higher added value. Moreover, it is crucial to work towards the implementation of a quality education system to make it a vector for social ascension and the distribution of growth dividends to all social classes, while putting in place the foundations of an economic system that prioritizes respect for the environment. To this end, the Policy Center for the New South focuses on structural transformation, economic integration and trade partnership frameworks, energy transition and climate change, labor market and human capital dynamics, sectoral policy design and macroeconomic policy.

Subprograms :

- Economic Trends and Macroeconomic Regulation
- Energy Transition and Climate Change
- Labor Market and Education
- Trade and Integration
- Sectoral Policies, Research and Innovation

The Policy Center for the New South aims to rethink the new Moroccan foreign policy, in line with the kingdom's ambition to position itself as a partner of choice for various international powers. The program in question conceptualizes the new Moroccan foreign policy that seem to constitute today the dominant paradigm of Moroccan diplomatic doctrine, while redefining its new regional and continental geopolitics, as well as its relations with the traditional and emerging world powers. It is subdivided into five sub-programs, namely territorial integrity and cross-border dynamics; Morocco's foreign policy vis-à-vis Maghreb countries, African and Atlantic surroundings; Morocco's Mediterranean and European policy; Morocco's relations with the Arab and Muslim world; and finally the current reconfigurations of the contemporary international order.

Subprograms :

- Territorial Integrity and Cross-border Dynamics
- Africa, Maghreb, Atlantic
- The Mediterranean and Europe
- Arab and Muslim Worlds
- Morocco and the Great Powers

The Policy Center for The New South has turned the reflection on the "social and territorial state" into a research program. This concerns the social scope of public policies, which has become a priority more than ever in the light of Covid-19 pandemic. This crisis calls on policy makers to refocus their attention on social development and to place the citizen at the center of their concerns. The deployment of these strategies must be supported by a reinvented governance architecture, which puts in place institutions that meet the expectations of the citizen. Territorial democracy and the transfer of responsibilities to local representatives are essential levers for responding to citizens' aspirations and thus pave the way for full inclusion - of all social classes and all localities. The territorial state also leads to a redefinition of the identity of the public administration, which aims to broaden its fields of action by identifying the best practices and the means necessary to develop its capacities and leadership.

Subprograms :

- Inequality and Social Inclusion
- Governance and Local Development
- Political and Social Institutions, Citizenship
- Public Leadership