The Relationship between the Modernization of Public Administrations and Territorial Governance in Morocco: The City of Fez as a Case Study

Abstract

The study examines at how territorial governance is enhanced by the modernization of public administration. It examines the connections between citizen engagement, service quality, and transparency as important factors that connect administrative improvements to the efficacy of local government. The study explores data from 160 Moroccan citizens and 58 local civil servants using a PLS-SEM method (Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling – PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that citizen engagement and the perceived quality of local public services are positively impacted by the openness of local public action. Territorial consultation and citizen involvement are positively impacted by the quality of local public services. Territorial governance is positively and significantly impacted by the modernization of public administration, which is operationalized through transparency and service quality. Transparency emerges as the predominant determinant of civic engagement, with an exceptionally high effect size, suggesting increased citizen sensitivity to administrative openness in contexts historically marked by institutional opacity. The results emphasize that improving territorial governance requires systemic modernization that simultaneously integrates transparency and service quality. While continuing to enhance service quality to sustain institutional trust and participatory interactions, local authorities should give priority to transparency measures (information distribution, digital platforms, justification of decisions) as important drivers of civic participation. This change fosters the co-construction of local policy, increases democratic legitimacy, and lowers institutional mistrust—all of which are especially important for developing nations undergoing decentralization reforms.