Home Institution
Hamilton College
Publication Date
Spring 2024
Abstract
Morocco’s unique situation as a Mediterranean “gateway” between Africa and Europe makes the country a key strategic partner to the European Union. When it comes to migration diplomacy, however, cooperation between the two actors is hardly a given. This paper studies Morocco-EU migration diplomacy between 2000 and 2020. It provides an overview of the events and agreements that have shaped the relationship, with a focus on Morocco’s rationale. I argue that Morocco makes use of two tools to strengthen its negotiating position and narrow the gap in relative power – role-playing and rentierism. The former is an element of International Socialization Theory, which describes an actor’s superficial adoption of ‘norms’ institutionalized in its international environment. The latter refers to a process by which a state solicits ‘rent’ – in this case financial aid and bargaining power – from ‘external clients’. My analysis is primarily qualitative, and evidence is derived from various national and bilateral migration policies, high-level Moroccan and EU discourse, and a handful of semi-structured interviews with Moroccan academics.
Disciplines
Diplomatic History | International Relations | Migration Studies | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Social Policy
Recommended Citation
McGrath, Mia, "Role-playing and Rentierism: Rethinking Morocco’s Approach to Migration Diplomacy with the EU" (2024). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3795.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3795
Included in
Diplomatic History Commons, International Relations Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Policy Commons
Program Name
Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity