PhD in Philosophy, Petrova Yulia Andreevna

Lubianitskii Pavel Yurievich    

Rostov State University of Economics (RIPE)

 

The cluster approach in the Customs union and the Common Economic Space

 

As the EU experience shows, clusters development is a prospective instrument of increasing competitive ability of the national economy. The development of the cluster form of production organization can play an important role in competitive growth and stimulation of innovative development and increase of the population level of employment for the member states of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space.

Clusters can be used as one of the instruments of forming the well-coordinated and subsequently consentaneous industrial policy within the frameworks of the Common Economic Space. For example: there is a significant potential for creating joint innovative and industrial clusters in Smolensk and Vitebsk regions. The cluster can be created with the purpose of increasing the innovative activity of already existing large enterprises by means of the implementation of innovative solutions by companies and research-and-development centers of the cluster for traditional industrial sectors, increasing their marketability on the world market.

The availability of such a cluster will have the positive impact on such enterprises of Common Economic Space like OJSC Smolensk aircraft factory, OJSC Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant, FSUE "SPA "Analitpribor", OJSC Izmeritel and other.

In addition, meetings of representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Russia and Belarus are regularly conducted on the level of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Smolensk region. This proves the high existing potential of economic integration and industrial and technological cooperation of the regions.

The first steps in this regard should be the investigation of business interests of three countries and conditions of economic management which have already formed in countries of the Common Economic Space. Every state has formed its distinctive models of innovative business development. There are also differences in the national policies of support of the innovative business with respect to the tax, budget, financial, and credit policy. Because of the fact that clusters traditionally develop from bottom to the upper level, the analysis of conditions for the development of innovative small and middle entrepreneurship, determining certain trends and prospects of its development are of critical importance for the cluster approach implementation.

The European Commission operates On the supra-national level of the EU. It is the primary executive body which takes decision on creating different initiatives on clusters development and approving interstate programs on innovative clusters financing.

Responsible structural subdivisions on the development and implementation of clusters development programs is The Directorate-General (DG) for Internal Market, Industry, and Entrepreneurship.  The Directorate coordinates and improves various interstate initiatives (Initiative Pro INNO Europe) and implements practical instruments which promote development of interaction between clusters of EU countries with the purpose of increasing economic development via development of competitive abilities of economies.

EU experience shows that the well-coordinated policy based on the operable institutes of its growth stimulation is required for solving tasks of increasing competitive ability of innovative products on the stage of deep economic integration of the countries.

EU experience can be the basis of forming a similar mechanism within the frameworks of developing the cluster approach in the Common Economic Space.

In the Russian Federation, the cluster approach is included to the Concept of the long-term social and economic development till 2010.

The following key instruments are used for the support of pilot programs of development of 25 innovative territorial clusters:

1.                 Providing subsidies to the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the purposes of implementation of measures provided by programs of pilot clusters development;

2.                 Providing support to the implementation of measures of the programs of pilot clusters development within the frameworks of the federal target programs and governmental programs of the Russian Federation;

3.                 Attracting state development institutes to the implementation of programs of pilot clusters development;

4.                 Stimulating participation of large companies with public ownership implementing programs of innovative development.

A good example of the successfully developing cluster in Russia is the city of Kaluga with active production of cars and vehicle components. The basis of it has been formed by such companies as Volkswagen, Volvo Truck, alliance of Peugeot-Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors.

Existing developments can become the basis for cooperation between member states of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

But in spite of obvious advantages of the cluster approach, it has certain drawbacks, namely: the probability of corruption in bureaucratic institutions and conflict between separate adjoining ministries and departments in the course of the state regulation of clusters, occurrence of the companies blocking effect.

 We can conclude that the cluster policy is really efficient for increasing the level of competitive ability of countries of the EU, Customs Union, and Common Economic Space. That is why the arrangement of clusters during the period of the economic crisis is an important aspect for increasing economic development of states and improvement of their economies.

 

 

 

Bibliography

1.                 Clusters, as a new form of competitive relations in the modern economy: http://referatwork.ru/refs/source/ref-122446.html

2.                 https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%EE%ED%EA%F3%F0%E5%ED%F6%E8%FF

3.                 World economic forum http://www.vigorconsult.ru/resources/global-competitiveness/