Youth as Actors of Change? The Cases of Morocco and Tunisia

Abstract

In the last decades, 'youth' has increasingly become a fashionable category in academic and development literature and a key development (or security) priority. However, beyond its biological attributes, youth is a socially constructed category and also one that tends to be featured in times of drastic social change. As the history of the category shows in both Morocco and Tunisia, youth can represent the wished-for model of future citizenry and a symbol of renovation, or its 'not-yet-adult' status which still requires guidance and protection can be used as a justification for increased social control and repression of broader social mobilisation. Furthermore, when used as a homogeneous and undifferentiated category, the reference to youth can divert attention away from other social divides such as class in highly unequal societies.

Tunisia’s Institutional Change after the Revolution

“…The state was also controlling economy in order to foster political control over the population and Ben Ali's popularity (Sadiki, 2002). However, episodes of revolt have taken place during Ben Ali's regime, despite the centralized state having created mechanisms of co-optation of the young generation in order to control them and foster national identity through programs of public administration employment (Paciello and Pioppi, 2018). He started economic restructuring (until the end of 1990s) by introducing neoliberal reforms that include abolishing price control and state subsidies as well as fostering privatization.…”

“…The legal opposition had no influence over the regime's agenda. Social policy was used as a means to maintain legitimacy and control even during economic structural adjustments(Paciello and Pioppi 2018). All these elements underline the low level of discretion that political actors enjoyed in Tunisia during Ben Ali's regime.…”