Miguel Portela
# Miguel Portela
Full Professor of Economics, EEG, Universidade do Minho
Director, NIPE
Co-Editor, Portuguese Economic Journal
Economics - Applied Econometrics - Labor Markets
Bank of Portugal IZA (Bonn)
Contact
Email: miguel.portela@eeg.uminho.pt
GitHub: github.com/reisportela
ORCID: 0000-0002-4721-2081
ResearcherID: C-4509-2008
ScopusID: 8550579200
CIENCIAID: F112-51AF-9460
Miguel Portela holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and is Full Professor of Economics at the University of Minho. He directs the Centre for Research in Economics and Management (NIPE) and serves as Co-Editor of the Portuguese Economic Journal. His research focuses on labor economics, firm performance, and applied econometrics, with special attention to the Portuguese economy. His work appears in journals such as Econometrica, Labour Economics, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Small Business Economics, and Regional Studies.
Education
- PhD in Economics, Tinbergen Institute / University of Amsterdam, 2007
- Master in Economics, University of Minho, 2000
- Graduation in Economics, University of Porto, 1995
Publications
- “Mismatch Matters: Education and Productivity in Laggard and Frontier Firms,” Journal of Productivity Analysis, 2025.
- “Investment Grants and Firms’ Productivity: How Effective is a Grant Booster Shot?,” Small Business Economics, 2025.
- “Minimum Wage and Financially Distressed Firms: Another One Bites the Dust,” Labour Economics, 2022.
- “Enhancing University-Industry Collaboration: The Role of Intermediary Organisations,” Journal of Technology Transfer, 2022.
- “Asymmetric Regional Dynamics in the Portuguese Economy,” Regional Studies, 2021.
- “Returns to Tenure or Seniority?,” Econometrica, 2014.
- “Measurement Error in Education and Growth Regressions,” Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2010.
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“Timing of cloud computing and big data adoption: Cohort characteristics and firm performance”, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2025. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Catia Cerqueira, Miguel Portela -
“Mismatch Matters: Education and Productivity in Laggard and Frontier Firms”, Journal of Productivity Analysis, 2025. doi
Beatriz Rocha, Hugo Figueiredo, Carla Sa, Miguel Portela -
“Investment Grants and Firms’ Productivity: How Effective is a Grant Booster Shot?”, Small Business Economics, 2025. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Miguel Chaves, Miguel Portela -
“Workforce skills and firm productivity”, Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, 2022. journal
Joana Cima, Catarina Pimenta, Miguel Portela, Marta Silva -
“Minimum Wage and Financially Distressed Firms: Another One Bites the Dust”, Labour Economics, 2022. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Joao Cerejeira, Helder Costa, Miguel Portela -
“Enhancing University-Industry collaboration: the role of intermediary organisations”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2022. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Helder Costa, Ana Paula Faria, Miguel Portela -
“Does domestic demand matter for firms’ exports?”, Open Economies Review, 2022. doi
Antonio Rua, Paulo Esteves, Miguel Portela -
“Mass Higher Education and its Civic Impacts in Portugal and Spain”, Journal of Education Finance, 2021. doi
Pedro Teixeira, Carla Sa, Joao Cerejeira, Hugo Figueiredo, Miguel Portela -
“Asymmetric regional dynamics in the Portuguese economy: debt, openness and local revenues”, Regional Studies, 2021. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Helder Costa, Miguel Portela, Miguel Rodrigues -
“Is the basic life-cycle theory of consumption becoming more relevant? Evidence from Portugal”, Review of Economics of the Household, 2020. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Miguel Portela -
“The parental co-immunization hypothesis: An observational competing risks analysis”, Scientific Reports, 2019. doi
Miguel Portela, Paul Schweinzer -
“EEE fees and the WEEE system - A model of efficiency and income in European countries”, Waste Management, 2018. doi
Rita Sousa, Elsa Agante, Joao Cerejeira, Miguel Portela -
“Exchange rates, employment and labour market rigidity”, The World Economy, 2017. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Joao Cerejeira, Miguel Portela -
“Interactions in local governments’ spending decisions: Evidence from Portugal”, Regional Studies, 2015. doi
Helia Costa, Linda Veiga, Miguel Portela -
“Hours of work and retirement behavior”, IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, 2014. doi
C. Sofia Machado, Miguel Portela -
“Returns to tenure or seniority?”, Econometrica, 2014. doi
Sebastian Buhai, Miguel Portela, Coen Teulings, Aico van Vuuren -
“Employment and exchange rates: the role of openness and technology”, Open Economies Review, 2011. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Joao Cerejeira, Miguel Portela -
“Firm ownership and rent sharing”, Journal of Labor Research, 2011. doi
Natalia Pimenta Monteiro, Miguel Portela, Odd Rune Straume -
“Rent sharing in Portuguese Banking”, Manchester School, 2011. doi
Natalia Monteiro, Miguel Portela -
“Measurement error in education and growth regressions”, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2010. doi
Miguel Portela, Rob Alessie, Coen Teulings -
“Admission conditions and graduates’ employability”, Studies in Higher Education, 2009. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Miguel Portela, Carla Sa -
“Perceptions of the Bologna process: what do students’ choices reveal?”, Higher Education, 2009. doi
Miguel Portela, Carla Sa, Fernando Alexandre, Ana Rute Cardoso -
“Micro Foundations for Wage Flexibility: Wage Insurance at the Firm Level”, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 2009. doi
Ana Rute Cardoso, Miguel Portela -
“Aggregate and sector-specific exchange rate indexes for the Portuguese economy”, Notas Economicas, 2009. doi
Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Joao Cerejeira, Miguel Portela -
“Demand for Higher Education Programs: The Impact of the Bologna Process”, CESifo Economic Studies, 2008. doi
Ana Rute Cardoso, Miguel Portela, Carla Sa, Fernando Alexandre -
“Evaluating student allocation in the Portuguese public higher education system”, Higher Education, 2008. doi
Miguel Portela, Nelson Areal, Carla Sa, Fernando Alexandre, Joao Cerejeira, Ana Carvalho, Artur Rodrigues -
“Gender segregation and the wage gap in Portugal: an analysis at the establishment level”, Journal of Economic Inequality, 2005. doi
Jose A. Cabral Vieira, Ana Rute Cardoso, Miguel Portela -
“Measuring skill: a multi-dimensional index”, Economics Letters, 2001. doi
Miguel Portela
- Assimetrias e convergencia regional: implicacoes para a descentralizacao e regionalizacao em Portugal [Asymmetries and regional convergence: implications for decentralralization and regionalization in Portugal], ed. Associacao Comercial do Porto, Porto, 2019; ISBN: 978-972-96580-7-5 (Coordinator: Fernando Alexandre; co-authors: Fernando Alexandre, Joao Cerejeira, Miguel Portela, Miguel Rodrigues, Helder Costa).
- Investimento empresarial e o crescimento da economia portuguesa [Firms’ investment and the growth of the Portuguese economy], ed. Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa, 2017; ISBN: 978-989-8807-39-7 (co-authors: Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Carlos Carreira, Joao Cerejeira, Antonio Martins, Miguel Portela).
- Beneficios do Ensino Superior [Higher Education Benefits], ed. Fundacao Francisco Manuel dos Santos, Lisboa, 2017; ISBN: 978-989-886-337-9 (co-authors: Hugo Figueiredo, Miguel Portela, Carla Sa, Joao Cerejeira, Andre Almeida, Diogo Lourenco).
- Poupanca e financiamento da economia portuguesa [Saving and financing of the Portuguese economy], ed. Associacao Portuguesa de Seguradores, Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, Lisboa, 2017; ISBN: 978-972-272-528-6 (co-authors: Fernando Alexandre, Luis Aguiar-Conraria, Pedro Bacao, Miguel Portela).
- A Economia Portuguesa na Uniao Europeia: 1986 - 2010 [The Portuguese economy in the European Union: 1986 - 2010], Actual Editora, Coimbra: 486 pages, 2014; ISBN: 978-989-694-078-2 (Organizers: Fernando Alexandre, Pedro Bacao, Pedro Lains, Manuel M. F. Martins, Miguel Portela, Marta Simoes).
- Os fluxos e as remuneracoes de sub- e sobre-escolarizados em Portugal no periodo 1995-2005 [The flows and wages of under- and over-educated workers in Portugal, 1995-2005], GEP, MTSS, Coleccao Cogitum, no. 23, 2009; ISBN: 978-972-704-328-6 (co-authors: Fernando Alexandre, Carla Sa, Joao Cerejeira Silva).
Economics Research in Portugal
Projects and Leadership
Principal Investigator
- It’s All About Productivity: contributions to the understanding of the sluggish performance of the Portuguese economy (FCT, 2018-2021).
- Ensino superior: beneficios economicos e nao economicos (FFMS, 2015-2017).
- Educacao em Portugal (PO Assistencia Tecnica FSE, 2012-2014).
- Economics and Education in Portugal: why and for whom? (FCT, 2012-2015).
Selected Service
- Member, Productivity Council, Ministry of Economics and Finance (2019-2023).
- Vice-President for Research, School of Economics and Management (2011-2014).
- Director of the PhD Programme in Economics (2016-2021).
- Evaluation panels for FCT and research project reviews (2014-2023).
Teaching
Graduate and doctoral teaching in labor economics, econometrics, and economics of education. Regular short courses in policy evaluation, econometrics with Stata, and applied data analysis for universities and public institutions in Portugal and abroad.
Selected Consultancy
- Technical consultant of the micro databases research infrastructure BPLIM (Laboratorio de Investigacao em Microdados), Economics and Research Department, Banco de Portugal, 2015 - ongoing.
- “Estudo sobre a dinamizacao do mercado de capitais” [“Study on the dynamization of the capital market”], Comissao do Mercado de Valores Mobiliarios (CMVM), 2025.
- Data science consultancy, INE - Statistics Portugal, 2021/2022.
- External Collaboration Contract on “Empirical estimates for the causal relation between financialization and wage shares”, International Labour Organization (ILO), 2016.