Identification of Regional Clusters in the Russian Far East

Abstract

Decision-making in the regional economy from the point of view of the cluster approach is gaining increasing popularity in Russia. Clustering contributes to the effectiveness of regional development, and, in turn, necessitates the development of a cluster policy that would increase the benefits of the region and the national economy. The paper presents the results of the study of regional clusters of the Far East of the Russian Federation. The aim of the paper is to develop a methodology that allows identifying clustering processes and its approbation (case study of the Far Eastern Federal District). The developed methodology makes it possible to determine the stage of the life cycle of an identified cluster, as well as to find the problem factors that impede its development. The study is based on the methodology of the European Cluster Observatory, supplemented by indicators of investment in fixed assets and the sectoral structure of gross value added, as well as a method for analyzing the structural shifts in the economy. The criteria for assessing the stage of the operation of clusters based on the introduced scale are proposed. Because of the calculations, it was revealed that most identified clusters are at the stage of cluster initiatives' formation, except for the fishery cluster of the Sakhalin Region, which is defined by the authors as formed. Other identified clusters belong to the following economic activities: "mining", "production and distribution of electricity, gas and water", "public administration and ensuring military security", "transportation and communications" and "health and social services". At the same time, there is practically no cluster development in processing types of economic activity and service sectors. The presented results testify to the high share of raw materials' production in the economy of the Far East, which reduces the likelihood of implementing the current state policy for the development of an innovative economy.