Eficiência e/ou coesão territorial: de que modo uma rede de Instituições de Ensino Superior pode contribuir para estes objectivos?[Efficiency and/or territorial cohesion: how can a network of universities contribute to these objectives?]

The existence of higher education institutions (HEIs), dispersed in different locations throughout the country, is probably one of the most striking features associated with the expansion of this level of education in Portugal in the last 40 years. This phenomenon is particularly relevant since the level of qualification of the Portuguese active population remains small. The presence of HEIs causes very diverse effects of economic and social nature, which should be addressed as a whole (over the whole period of their occurrence). In confronting objectives of economic rationality and improvement of the qualification of Portuguese population, particularly of young people, it is important to discuss the possibility of a network of HEIs, at the same time, efficient and promoting territorial cohesion. In 2006, the OECD has pointed to the decline in demand associated with, among other factors, a sharp demographic contraction, in conjunction with the existence of an excess in installed supply, particularly in certain areas, in this level of education. In this scenario, it is now added a context of strong public budget constraints. A discussion of the characteristics of a network of HEIs, in terms of their efficiency and / or their contribution to territorial cohesion must take into account the supply available from the network, as well as the locations of the network. It is clear that the design of a network of HEIs is always political. Nevertheless, this decision making should be based on assumptions of a technical nature. A discussion of these assumptions is the goal we want to achieve with this paper.