The impact of territorial governance on the social and solidarity economy in the era of advanced regionalization

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Abstract

In a regionalization process, social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises can be affirmed as actors of territorial governance (defense of general interests, participation, democratization, and so on so forth) and as participants in territorial regulation (resistance to change, social coalitions, solidarity, and so on so forth) (Demoustier & Richez-Battesti, 2010). Our study, therefore, seeks to explore the impact of territorial governance on the SSE in the era of advanced regionalization in Morocco. To illustrate this complexity, a series of semi-structured interviews was conducted with the head of economic development and employment promotion in the Fez-Meknes region, as well as with the presidents of six cooperatives. The latter were selected on the basis of their active presence in the field and their access to regional support mechanisms. The results reveal that the Moroccan SSE is undergoing profound change. However, it faces structural obstacles, particularly in terms of marketing, governance, financing, and training. These obstacles are nevertheless partly offset by the opportunities offered by territorial governance practices within the framework of advanced regionalization. The introduction of advanced regionalization as a new model of territorial governance thus offers promising prospects for cooperatives, particularly in terms of financial, logistical, and institutional support, and by facilitating the marketing of their products. However, these opportunities remain sporadic and often depend on the initiative of territorial councils and decentralized services.

Keywords: Governance, Regionalization, Social and Solidarity Economy, Development, Cooperatives, Organisation, Semi-Structured Interview

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — A.L.; Methodology — F.K.; Investigation — A.L.; Funding — F.K.; Resources — A.L., F.K. and M.b.D.E.I.; Writing — A.L. and F.K.; Supervision — M.b.D.E.I.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: R58, P13, D73

Received: 12.10.2025
Revised: 27.01.2026; 14.04.2026
Accepted: 22.04.2026
Published online: 23.04.2026

How to cite this paper: Lahmidi, A., Khrikhech, F., & El Idrissi, M. B. D. (2026). The impact of territorial governance on the social and solidarity economy in the era of advanced regionalization. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 15(2), 300–311. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv15i2art26