Defense of the Doctoral Thesis in "Governance and Developement" by Ms. Adjoba Audrey Paule N’ZE

The Euromed University of Fes (UEMF) is pleased to inform the public of

the doctoral thesis defense in ” Governance and Developement ”

The thesis defense will take place on September 24, 2025 at 09:00 a.m. at UEMF 

Location: Gallery, Building 1 

The thesis will be presented by Ms. Adjoba Audrey Paule N’ZE

under the topic:

“ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PUT TO THE TEST OF GOOD GOVERNANCE: Benchmark approach for the Fez-Meknes region and the autonomous district of Abidjan ”

General Summary 

This thesis analyses the institutional factors that influence territorial trajectories in terms of sustainable development. While the international community has adopted an ambitious normative framework with the SDGs, their concrete implementation reveals significant divergences, including within the African continent. This research examines the reasons for these divergences, positing the hypothesis that the effectiveness of sustainable development policies depends less on the adoption of universal standards than on the coherence and nature of local governance frameworks. First, the foundations of sustainable development, its main conceptual benchmarks and its intrinsic link to the notion of governance are explained through an in-depth literature review and an exhaustive bibliometric study. Next, a critical analysis of scientific research is proposed in order to highlight the evolution of the field, moving from a normative vision to a growing need to study the institutional factors that explain territorial performance.

Three sets of factors, recognized but little explored in comparative analyses in the African context, are examined: i) the influence of national institutional architectures; ii) the role of multi-stakeholder governance mechanisms (negotiation, participation); and iii) the relevance of a multi-scalar methodological approach to overcome the limitations of traditional assessments.

The research approach adopted is therefore divided into three analytical parts. The first part establishes a macro-institutional theoretical framework based on regulation theory. It proposes a model for understanding how the “complementarity” of institutions (legal framework, professional organizations, financing networks) creates “historical dependencies” that shape governance models. This part justifies the relevance of a comparative analysis to reveal these underlying logics.

The second part is an empirical application of this framework through contrasting case studies from the Fez-Meknes region (Morocco) and the autonomous district of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). It first describes and compares the characteristics and challenges of each territory, then analyses their respective governance systems in depth. For Fez-Meknes, the analysis focuses on the dynamics of contractualization between the state and the region and on the construction of an SDG scorecard that reveals significant intra-regional disparities. For Abidjan, it focuses on metropolitan planning processes (SDUGA) and the management of structuring projects. This analysis highlights how distinct institutional frameworks translate into radically different governance processes, financing methods and intervention logics.

distinct institutional frameworks translate into radically different governance processes, financing methods and intervention logics.

Finally, the third part deepens this analysis through a critical benchmarking of projects and practices within the two territories. It goes beyond a simple comparison of results to propose a multidimensional qualitative analysis grid. This tool allows for a detailed assessment of convergences and divergences not only in terms of sustainability objectives (economic, social, environmental), but also in terms of processes (participation, coordination, conflict management). It thus demonstrates that the methodological choices and conceptual frameworks used for planning (SRAT vs SDUGA) explain only part of the observed trajectories. The results highlight that despite a certain homogenization of the discourse on sustainable development, practices remain strongly rooted in institutional logic and local power relations. The dynamics of interaction between actors prove to be a more powerful explanatory factor than simple compliance with master plans.

This thesis will be presented to the jury members: