Study Finds Morocco Most "Change-Ready" Country in Maghreb

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - June 29, 2015) - KPMG International and Oxford Economics' 2015 Change Readiness Index (CRI) ranked Morocco as the most "change-ready" country in the Maghreb, and ranking 56 worldwide out of 127 countries evaluated in the study.

The index measures countries' "change readiness," or resilience -- "how effectively a country's government, private and public enterprises, people and wider civil society anticipate, prepare for, manage and respond to change and cultivate opportunity."

A country's overall CRI score is determined by composite scores in three categories: enterprise capability, government capability, and people/civil society capability. In evaluating enterprise capability, the report considers factors like infrastructure, the strength of the financial sector, economic diversification, technology infrastructure, and more. In evaluating government capability, the report looks at food and energy security, environment and climate change, rule of law, budgeting, security, and other variables. And to evaluate people/civil society capability, the report considers variables like demographics, human capital, health, gender, and technology use, among others.

Since the 2013 CRI was released, Morocco posted improvements in all three categories, with the most significant increases in in civil society and enterprise capabilities.

"This study confirms what many in foreign affairs circles have long surmised: that Morocco is continuing on its path of evolutionary and steady reform -- whether it be social, economic, or political -- to become a leader in the region," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel.

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.