Abstract:It is widely recognized that the investment in human capital, innovation, and knowledge transfer is essential to sustainable development and growth. Within this context, the role and action of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are vital.This paper aims to reflect on the role and impact of higher education on regional development, based on the reality of public higher education in Portugal and, more specifically, the case study of the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja). This institution belongs to the subsystem of polytechnic higher education and is located in a region that has one of the lowest economic ratios and population density in Europe.
Aligned with the binary structure of the higher education system in Portugal, divided into universities and polytechnics, the Government acknowledged, in 2014, the need to identify distinct performance indicators/metrics aiming at a more accurate assessment of the effect and quality of the action developed by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). For the Polytechnic Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) it was necessary to define «(…) performance indicators that address the production, transfer and diffusion of knowledge» (FCT, 2014: 1), aiming to measure «(…) the applied research and the cultural production activities as well as their impact on the region where they [PHEIs] are located (…)» (FCT, 2014: 1).Founded on the presentation of specific indicators to be considered when evaluating the performance of PHEIs (developed under a research project funded by FCT: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia -portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology), we now focus our reflection on the tensions, reconfigurations and gains for the organizational and educational management that these new metrics can induce.By successive aggregation, the proposed evaluation indicators allow for the typification and characterization of the separate performance (faculty member/Department/HEI) at the level of applied research, knowledge transfer, population qualification and contribution to the territorial dynamics, which account for the distinct profile of Polytechnics. KeywordsPerformance Evaluation, higher education, performance evaluation indicators/metrics. ResumenEn línea con la estructura binaria existente en el sistema de educación superior en Portugal, dividido en universidades y escuelas superiores politécnicas, fue identificada, en 2014 por el Ministerio de Educación Superior, la necesidad de identificar los diferentes indicadores/métricas de desempeño que pueden evaluar mejor el efecto y la calidad de la acción desarrollada. En concreto, para las Instituciones de Educación Superior Politécnica (IESP) fue asumido como necesario definir «(…) indicadores de desempeño para la producción, la transferencia y difusión del conocimiento» (FCT, 2014: 1), es decir, que permitan evaluar «las actividades de investigación aplicada, de creación cultural y su impacto en las regiones en las que operan (…)» (FCT 2014: 1).Teniendo en cuenta la presentación de indicadores específicos que deben ser considerados en la evaluación de desempeño de las IESP, desarrollados en el ámbito de un proyecto de investigación financiado por la FCT (Fundación para la Ciencia y Tecnología: agencia portuguesa de financiación nacional de la ciencia, investigación y tecnología), centramos, en este artículo, la reflexión sobre el valor añadido y las tensiones que la introducción de nuevas métricas de desempeño, para docentes e instituciones, pueden inducir en la dinámica educativa y organizacional.Los indicadores de evaluación propuestos permiten tipificar y caracterizar la performance de la institución de educación superior en la...
It is widely recognized that the investment in human capital, innovation, and knowledge transfer is essential to sustainable development and growth. Within this context, the role and action of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are vital. This paper aims to reflect on the role and the economic impact of a higher education institution, based on the case study of a public HEIs in Portugal namely the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja). This institution belongs to the subsystem of polytechnic higher education and is located in a region that has one of the lowest economic and population densities in Europe.
O presente estudo teve como objetivo a análise da estrutura de capital das Pequenas e Médias Empresas – PME – da região do Alentejo, no período entre 2013 e 2016, num período de saída de uma crise económica profunda. Para a concretização desse objetivo, utilizou-se como variável dependente o endividamento subdividido em curto prazo e médio/longo prazo. Já como variáveis independentes foram assumidos outros benefícios fiscais, o risco, a dimensão, a composição do ativo, a reputação, a rendibilidade do ativo e o crescimento. A metodologia de análise de dados utilizada foi a de regressão com dados em painel. Constata-se neste estudo, que o endividamento é principalmente de curto prazo para as PME do Alentejo, resultado que vai de encontro às evidências empíricas obtidas para a generalidade das PME portuguesas. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam ainda que a teoria que melhor explica a estrutura de capital é a teoria da pecking order. Em termos de implicações, os resultados parecem evidenciar que as PME da região Alentejo enfrentam dificuldades de acesso ao crédito, neste período de saída da crise. Estes resultados são importantes para os decisores políticos sugerindo-se a adoção de medidas, como a criação de linhas especiais de crédito ou benefícios fiscais, que permitam mitigar eventuais dificuldades no acesso a fontes externas de financiamento.
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