Industrial Clusters in Russia: Old Problems and New Challenges

Abstract

Industrial clusters, on the one hand, act as a tool of today's industrial policy pursued in sectoral and territorial aspects and, on the other hand, they are the object of state support, which is carried out within the frames of the program of cluster policy. Nowadays state support of industrial clusters includes mainly measures encouraging production localization aimed at product output within the frames of sectoral plans of import substitution and national projects. It is shown that key difficulties arising in using the cluster approach in Russia are the absence of methodology needed to estimate potential cluster market, restricting the cluster by borders of entity of the Federation or a group of municipal structures, underdeveloped forms of interaction between enterprises - cluster participants, absolutization of cluster pattern and the absence of concrete steps aimed at cluster development on the part of its participants, bodies of regional administration and other concerned parties. It is proven that state support of industrial clusters in the Russian Federation should target at cutting administrative, institutional and other barriers for cluster participants and promoting the development of their industrial competences. In this case cluster policy in the aspect of industrial cluster support can become an important driver of building spots of national economy growth, raising competitiveness of regions and sectors on the international level.