Carla Sá

Carla Sá is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Minho, Portugal, and an active researcher at NIPE (Economic Policies Research Unit) and CIPES (Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies). She holds a PhD in Economics from the Tinbergen Institute/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Education:

• PhD in Economics, Tinbergen Institute/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Her research centers on the intersection of economics of education and spatial economics, with intense focus on student decision-making processes. She investigates how geographical distance, regional mobility patterns, and institutional characteristics influence higher education choices through rigorous econometric analysis. Her work consistently examines Portuguese higher education systems while incorporating international comparative perspectives, particularly regarding spatial competition among institutions and public-private enrollment dynamics.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals persistent themes in spatial economics applied to education, including student mobility modeling, institutional competition effects, and policy evaluation of access regulations. Her methodological approach combines gravity models, spatial econometrics, and institutional analysis across Portuguese, Brazilian, Dutch, and Iberian contexts, demonstrating increasing policy relevance in equity-focused higher education research.

Dr. Sá has secured substantial research funding from major Portuguese institutions including FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology), A3ES (Agency for Assessment and Accreditation), and the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. She currently leads the "Dynamics of Inequality in Portuguese Higher Education System" project (2021-2024) and the "As mudanças nas políticas de acesso ao ensino superior durante a Covid-19" study (2022-2024), while serving as lead researcher on multiple projects examining demographic trends in academic staffing and educational returns. She has provided consultancy services to the Portuguese Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity and the International Labour Organization.

Within her institutional framework, she collaborates extensively through NIPE and CIPES research networks, contributing to national higher education policy debates while maintaining international research partnerships focused on spatial dimensions of educational choice and mobility.