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REGIONAL INNOVATION PROPENSITY IN PORTUGAL: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON PATENT DATA. This paper analyses the regional distribution of patents in Portugal in the period 1980-2008 using information that was recently made available. Lisbon leads the national ranking by far. However, towards the end of the period under analysis, a few regions around Oporto have increased their share in the total number of patents. This has taken place alongside an increase in the total number of patent applications from 2000 onwards, after two decades in which that number remained basically stagnant in Portugal. The main protagonists of this recent increase have been universities and other academic institutions. The paper concludes by stressing that the lack of growth in patent applications by the business sector is a cause for concern, given the gap that still separates Portugal from the countries that top the international patent rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTER-REGIONAL RELATIONS IN PORTUGAL AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE LISBON METROPOLITAN REGION. In this paper, we address the issue of territorial interdependencies in the case of Portugal. Given the lack of previous scientific work on inter-regional exchanges, the topic is approached from a broad perspective, by referring to the development synergies that can be found between the various regions. In particular, we discuss the specific relations that arise both from proximity and from regional similarities. Using data at the NUTS III level, we argue that, beyond the consolidation of a specific mode of development in the Lisbon metropolitan region, a sustainable articulation between demography and economy can hardly be found anywhere in the country. We conclude that the complex nature of inter-regional relations in Portugal calls for further methodological work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]