How distant are the Portuguese regions? A multidimensional scaling application

Despite being a small country, Portugal is characterised by significant regional disparities which are evident from the analysis of numerous indicators such as the level of income or the unemployment rate. These regional disparities acquire characteristics that, in a sense, do not respect the traditional pattern as the one expected when assuming that standards of living decrease with the distance of each region to the region where economic prosperity is higher. Plainly, this means that, besides the geographical map, it is possible to construct an alternative map of the regions of Portugal which, by its characteristics, is certainly much more interesting from the regional economics point of view. This can be done through the use of multidimensional scaling as it allows representing graphically the regions in a way to reproduce as close as possible the economic distances of the regions as measured by traditional indicators. The analysis of the multidimensional scaling output makes it then possible, on the one hand, to verify how geographical distances are related with economic ones and, on the other hand, to verify if the Portuguese regional economic policies have, indeed, contributed to a diminishment of those regional disparities. KEY-WORDS: Distance, Multidimensional Scaling, Portugal, Regional Disparities JEL CLASSIFICATION: C14, R12, R15

Spatial accessibility and social inclusion: The impact of Portugal's last health reform

Health policies seek to promote access to health care and should provide appropriate geographical accessibility to each demographical functional group. The dispersal demand of health‐careservices and the provision for such services atfixed locations contribute to the growth of inequality intheir access. Therefore, the optimal distribution of health facilities over the space/area can lead toaccessibility improvements and to the mitigation of the social exclusion of the groups considered mostvulnerable. Requiring for such, the use of planning practices joined with accessibility measures. However,the capacities of Geographic Information Systems in determining and evaluating spatial accessibility inhealth system planning have not yet been fully exploited. This paper focuses on health‐care services planningbased on accessibility measures grounded on the network analysis. The case study hinges on mainlandPortugal. Different scenarios were developed to measure and compare impact on the population'saccessibility. It distinguishes itself from other studies of accessibility measures by integrating network data ina spatial accessibility measure: the enhanced two‐stepfloating catchment area. The convenient location forhealth‐care facilities can increase the accessibility standards of the population and consequently reducethe economic and social costs incurred. Recently, the Portuguese government implemented a reform thataimed to improve, namely, the access and equity in meeting with the most urgent patients. It envisaged,in terms of equity, the allocation of 89 emergency network points that ensured more than 90% of thepopulation be within 30 min from any one point in the network. Consequently, several emergency serviceswere closed, namely, in rural areas. This reform highlighted the need to improve the quality of the emergencycare, accessibility to each care facility, and equity in their access. Hence, accessibility measures becomean efficient decision‐making tool, despite its absence in effective practice planning. According to anapplication of this type of measure, it was possible to verify which levels of accessibility were decreased,including the most disadvantaged people, with a larger time of dislocation of 12 min between 2001 and 2011

Regulamento para o Funcionamento dos Centros de Aconselhamento e Despistagem Anónima e Voluntária para o HIV/ Sida

O aconselhamento é um processo de escuta activa, individualizado e centrado no utente. Pressupõe a capacidade de estabelecer uma relação de confiança entre os interlocutores visando ao resgate dos recursos internos do utente, para que ele mesmo tenha a possibilidade de reconhecer-se como sujeito de sua própria saúde e transformação. Este processo permite ao indivíduo decidir com conhecimento de causa se deseja submeter-se a realização de testes para o HIV. Caracteriza-se pois por ser uma estratégia de prevenção que actua no âmbito do indivíduo

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION – THE STUDY CASE OF THE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF BEJA, PORTUGAL

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 Europ

Empregabilidade, competências e percursos de inserção profissional: os diplomados pelo ensino superior politécnico

A saÌda do sistema escolar marca o fim de uma etapa decisiva no processo de socializaÁ„o e inicia um perÌodo, mais ou menos longo, marcado por alguma vulnerabilidade. Os jovens que terminam o seu perÌodo de formaÁ„o transitam de um mundo relativamente protegido como È o da escola (Alves, 1999) para outro (o mundo do trabalho) onde a instabilidade e a incerteza tendem a imperar . As novas formas de or ganizaÁ„o do trabalho, os efeitos da globalizaÁ„o, o impacto das novas tecnologias, a diversidade de critÈrios e estratÈgias de recrutamento, a desvalorizaÁ„o dos diplomas escolares e as elevadas taxas de desemprego, vÍm questionar a desejada correspondÍncia entre um certo tipo de formaÁ„o e um certo tipo de emprego ou profiss„o

O cuidar dos terreiros

O vídeo propõe a troca de experiência e saberes entre as lideranças dos terreiros e gestores envolvendo a medicina oficial e a sabedoria ancestral e suas práticas terapêuticas que se constitui na medicina praticada nos terreiros

Protocolo de tratamento de influenza 2013

Revisão do Protocolo de Tratamento de Influenza, realizado pelo Minstério da Saúde em 2013, com base no perfil epidemiológico da influenza no Brasil. Destaque para a importância do tratamento oportuno dos casos de Síndrome Gripal (SG) que têm indicação e de Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave (SRAG). Para tanto, foram revisadas e redefinidas algumas condutas a serem instituídas frente aos casos de influenza e atualizou-se de forma ampla as indicações de quimioprofilaxia