Escaping the Mono‐Artisan Trap: Organisational Failure, Value Capture and Export Underperformance in Morocco's Leather Sector

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines why Morocco's artisanal sector, despite its substantial contribution to employment and cultural heritage, continues to underperform in export markets. Focusing on the leather sector in Fes, the research adopts a sequential explanatory mixed‐methods design. The quantitative phase reveals a stark ‘Fes Paradox’: despite accounting for 21% of local artisanal employment, the leather sector's share of total craft exports declined from 7% to 3% (2015–2024), generating an annual opportunity cost of approximately MAD 25 million (∼€2.3 m). Qualitative systems modelling then reveals that this decoupling stems not from isolated technical deficiencies, but from a structurally embedded ‘Mono‐Artisan’ model marked by organisational atomisation, technological lock‐in, and chronic dependence on intermediaries. Together, these factors form a self‐reinforcing low‐level equilibrium. Drawing on comparative insights from Turkey, China and Vietnam, the study proposes the ‘Federating Project’—not as a generic list of policy recommendations, but as a phased, systemic intervention model. This roadmap focuses on rebuilding collective governance, qualitative upgrading through eco‐certified niche positioning, and direct market access. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates how dismantling the Mono‐Artisan trap can transform traditional sectors into drivers of sustainable economic development, directly advancing SDGs 8 (decent work), 9 (industry and innovation) and 12 (responsible production).