iii Perspectives Perspectives on Business and Economics is the journal of the Martindale Student Associates Honors Program founded and run by the Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise at Lehigh University. Each year, a faculty panel selects 12 of Lehigh’s finest undergraduate students to become Martindale Student Associates. Each student researches an aspect of the economy and business environment of a foreign nation or state and prepares articles for publication. The country or state of focus changes each year. Morocco, a country rich in history and culture, is an emerging player on the world stage. With influences from Europe and Africa, Morocco has an abundance of economic and social policies to explore. The students and faculty learned as much as possible by visiting Tangier, Fes, Rabat, and Casablanca across 12 days. Thanks to the government, business, and nonprofit agencies we visited. The trip started with a briefing by Dar America/US Consulate General Casablanca. The group proceeded to Tangier via Africa’s first high-speed train. In Tangier, we met with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima; Regional Investment Center of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima; Conseil Régional du Tourisme; Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies; Technopark Tangier; Tangier Med Port Authority; Lear Corporation in the Tangier Free Zone; and Press House. Onward to Chefchaouen, the blue city, for a meeting with the vice president of the Municipality of Chefchaouen to discuss issues of rural Morocco. In Fes, we explored the handicraft industry of the Old Medina. In Rabat, we met with Ahmed Touizi, parliament president, and Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication. We met executives at the Policy Center for the New South at Mohamed VI Polytechnic University; MDC Ingénierie; and Masen, the firm that manages the nation’s renewable energy. Sessions with happy smala on inclusive finance and Global Shapers Community on entrepreneurship rounded out our Rabat visit. In Casablanca, we explored education at two Second Chance schools: L’Heure Joyeuse and TIBU Maroc. We visited Deloitte Morocco and Groupe ISCAE-Casablanca business school for issues affecting the economy and ended with a review of public health at the Association de Lutte Contre le Sida, a nonprofit health provider. In New York City, the cohort visited the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UN and met award-winning producer and filmmaker Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani regarding women’s issues in the country. In Washington, D.C., the group visited the Peterson Institute for International Economics to discuss energy transition and the Arab Center Washington DC to discuss Morocco's domestic and foreign policies. Special thanks The Martindale Center acknowledges the critical role played by alumni, parents, friends, and many experts in Morocco who shared their time and expertise as advisors and speakers to help make the 2023–2024 program and volume 42 a success. Thanks go to Oumaima Mhijir, executive director of the Jadara Foundation (former director general of L’Heure Joyeuse) for writing the journal's forward and a tour of a Second Chance school in country. Developing the itinerary starts with in-depth conversations about culture, current topics, and site visits. We thank M. Virginia McSwain, associate professor of physics, Lehigh University; Omar Lazrak, Global Village, Lehigh University; and Dan Rudiak '23 for sharing their experiences in Morocco with the group. The following individuals spoke with the group and assisted with Moroccan connections: Ghizlane Akourim and Hajar Habat, Global Village, Lehigh University; Salaheddine Bakor, president of Global Shapers Community; Soufiane Dari, Ministry of Digital Technology; Faith Glazier '87 (Canada), principal, Deloitte Consulting; Zakaria Hsain '17 (Peru); and Martin Pimentel, US Institute of Peace. We also appreciate the assistance of Aziz Agbalu, Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, for making connections in government and industry. We especially appreciate the Arbain family. Thanks to Lina Arbain Oumera '21 (Argentina) who connected us to Sami Arbain (her cousin in Morocco). Sami linked us to a tour guide, Youssef Abou Hilal, owner of Treasures Travel Company. Sami and his father, Jamal Arbain, were instrumental in securing our visits in the Tangier area. Thanks so much to both of them. Also, a huge thank you to Fatima and Abderrahman Arbain (grandparents of Lina and Sami) for hosting a Moroccan opening dinner for the group of 27 in their home! We also appreciate Jenny Lin '21 and Noah Jalango '21, members of the Argentina cohort, who missed the opportunity for international field immersion due to the pandemic, for joining the trip.
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