Evaluating student allocation in the Portuguese public higher education system

Abstract

This paper builds on the ongoing discussion on the regulation and marketisation of the higher education system. Its aim is to study the higher education market (des)equilibrium. Teixeira, Rosa and Amaral (2004) have analysed the presence/absence of market mechanisms in the Portuguese higher education sector. This paper describes supply and demand in the Portuguese system. On the supply side, it looks at indicators such as place distribution and diversity, whereas on the demand side, indicators based on the revealed preferences are computed. It goes a step further in quantifying the (mis)match between the two sides of the market, by suggesting and computing a set of strength and weakness indicators. These indicators are then used in predicting the potential impact of changes in higher education regulations on the market equilibrium and stability.