This publication is part of the OECD workstream on Preparing Regions for Demographic
Change. It elaborates a case study for the Portuguese region of Alentejo and focuses
on improving the delivery of educational services taking into account the multi-level
governance context. The study highlights the need to better articulate and co-ordinate
the delivery of educational services among levels of government to improve access
and quality. It also sheds light on the decisive role that geography plays and the
importance of adopting a spatial lens to mitigate the rising inequality present in
Portugal in access to education services. Alentejo is a rural region that expects
to lose 30% of its population between 2020 and 2080, hence it needs to put in place
forward-looking and effective policy levers to delivery sustainable education services
to citizens living in rural communities.