Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Inequality

MER Article

The Limits of Confronting Racial Discrimination in Tunisia with Law 50

In 2018, Tunisia became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to pass a law that criminalizes racial discrimination. In a society that has long denied the existence of racism, the law—popularly known as Loi 50 or Law 50—has been applauded by local activists and international human ri

Shreya Parikh • 11 min read

Government Efforts to Reduce Inequality in Morocco Are Only Making Matters Worse — Residents of Ouaklim near the city of Tinghir demonstrate to request construction of a middle school closer to their village, 2015. The banner reads: “The residents of the village of Ouaklim maintain their demand for basic needs in Ouaklim.” Courtesy of the authors.

MER Article

Government Efforts to Reduce Inequality in Morocco Are Only Making Matters Worse

Inequality between rural and urban areas of Morocco has been deeply entrenched since the colonial era. But recent government public policies that ostensibly seek to reduce disparities are in fact further marginalizing already impoverished communities. Atia and Samlali's research reveals what is goin

Mona Atia, Said Samlali • 13 min read

Life in the Vicinity of Morocco’s Noor Solar Energy Project — A model of the solar complex in the entrance hall of MASEN at Noor-Ouarzazate. Photo by Kelly Pemberton.A pilot project of ecological farming in Izerki, 2018. Photo by the author.

MER Article

Life in the Vicinity of Morocco’s Noor Solar Energy Project

Morocco's massive Noor solar energy project is not only generating electricity. Based on her fieldwork and interviews, Zakia Salime explains how the extraction of land, labor and water by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy is intertwined with development programs, farming initiatives and job

Zakia Salime • 12 min read

Government Efforts to Reduce Inequality in Morocco Are Only Making Matters Worse — Residents of Ouaklim near the city of Tinghir demonstrate to request construction of a middle school closer to their village, 2015. The banner reads: “The residents of the village of Ouaklim maintain their demand for basic needs in Ouaklim.” Courtesy of the authors.

Current Analysis

Government Efforts to Reduce Inequality in Morocco Are Only Making Matters Worse

Inequality between rural and urban areas of Morocco has been deeply entrenched since the colonial era. But recent government public policies that ostensibly seek to reduce disparities are in fact further marginalizing already impoverished communities. Atia and Samlali's research reveals what is goin

Mona Atia, Said Samlali • 13 min read