Equity and geography of opportunities in Mexico: The territorial distribution of higher education markets in Oaxaca

Abstract

This text analyzes the territorial distribution of the supply of higher education (HE) in the state of Oaxaca (Mexico) from the perspectives of market segmentation and the geography of opportunities. Geographic and demographic data were analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS). The study carried out suggests that the supply of HE in Oaxaca is segmented in a differentiated way under two modalities: concentration in metropolitan spaces, with several access routes, which are dedicated to tertiary economic activities (services) and with a small Indigenous population; and little or no offer in non-metropolitan regions, with few or no access roads, where the main economic activities are simple primary (agriculture and livestock for self-consumption) and there is a high percentage of indigenous population. This analysis shows that there are circuits of abundance, where the supply of HE is concentrated and others of poverty, where the supply of this service is null or scarce. In this way, the low socioeconomic level, the rural condition, the distance, and the ethnic origin are cumulative effects that generate barriers in the access to HE.