The Politics of Development in Morocco: Local Governance and Participation in North Africa by Sylvia I. Bergh

Author:Sylvia I. Bergh [Bergh, Sylvia I.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: African, Political Science, World, General
ISBN: 9781786731166
Google: JhOMDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-01-30T12:34:57+00:00

Financial Resources and other Assets

It has been argued that financial assets have the most significant impact on an organization's performance.36 Given that it is an important condition for receiving funds easily and transparently, I asked the members whether their association had a bank account. It was found that almost half of all associations have one (though the proportion is slightly lower in Ouirgane). The reasons for not having one mostly have to do with some confusion about the conditions for opening a bank account, in particular the level of starting capital required. Not many members were aware that the post office also provides an easy and cheap banking service (interviews OA04, OA08, OA31, TA15, TA26, TA29).

The interviews also tried to establish how much money each association had, although it is clear that the answers to such a sensitive question are not always reliable. I found that the associations are on average much richer in Tighedouine than in Ouirgane. This is not least thanks to the two newly created WUAs, which have already collected a considerable amount (between DH 6,000–7,000, and DH 13,000 respectively). In Ouirgane, 16 of the 21 associations (76 per cent) for which data was given said they had no resources at all, or very little (i.e. under DH 1,000), and only three have DH 5,000 or more, while there are eight such associations in Tigheoudine. The AAZ has undoubtedly the most important financial resources. Indeed, according to its president (interview TA34), it has invested about DH 3.5 million in total between July 1996 and December 2005, thanks mainly to funding from international donors and NGOs.

As for the sources of funds, membership fees are not a significant source, given the low membership numbers noted above.37 I distinguish between membership fees imposed on committee members and those on ordinary members. As regards the first: in Tighedouine, almost half of all associations do not impose a set fee for committee members and rely on donations, but the other half do collect fees, mostly between DH 50 and 200 per person per year. In Ouirgane, however, only one association collects a set fee from its committee members. All the other associations are dependent on irregular donations. This explains why the costs of creating the associations and of attending meetings are, in the majority of cases, borne by the committee members themselves. This has important implications in terms of who can afford to participate in these associations. Regarding the second type of fee, only one quarter of the associations in Ouirgane receive a membership fee from ordinary members – including the two school associations, which impose a fee per pupil. This is not surprising, given that Ouirgane associations hardly have any ordinary members, as noted earlier. In Tighedouine, the proportions are the opposite, as three quarters have a set membership fee of between DH 10 and 100 per year per person or household.

With respect to alternative income sources, especially in Ouirgane, many associations are already, or are hoping to, generate revenues from the sale of drinking water.

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