Linking general accounting and budget governance in morocco: a driver of public finance reforms

Abstract

Public Establishments and State-Owned Enterprises (EEPs) are the cornerstone of Morocco’s public finances, but their real contribution depends on being integrated into a unified budgetary and accounting framework. In practice, their management remains siloed, with heterogeneous accounting standards and weak links to the State’s accounts, which limits transparency and the overall clarity of public finances. The article highlights this paradox: actors central to growth and public policy, yet positioned at the margins of the Organic Budget Law (LOLF) and modern governance tools. Methodologically, the study adopts a documentary and systemic approach: a structured review of laws and reports (Organic Budget Law No. 130-13; TGR, DEPF, IGF, ANGSPE) and international standards (OECD, IMF/GFS, IPSAS), anchored in an analytical framework drawing on institutional interdependence (North) and budget reform (Schick) to model three layers of interoperability—normative, functional, and technological—and to assess gaps against good practices, while situating the issue in the context of emerging economies and reviewing Morocco’s progress since the LOLF (performance-based management, medium-term budgeting, and the shift to accrual accounting). Taken together, establishing full accounting–budgetary interoperability—extending the LOLF framework to EEPs, harmonizing standards (IPSAS/GFS), integrating information systems, and consolidating accounts—emerges as the key lever for turning ongoing reforms into tangible gains in transparency, performance-based management, and the sustainability of Morocco’s public finances.