Текущие экономические исследования регионального развития развиваются с учетом кластерного подхода, сущность которого раскрыта в данной статьеКамышанченко, Е.Н.Растопчина, Ю.Л

Grineva, N. A.

Ivanova, A. G.

Kamyshanchenko, E. N.

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CLUSTERS AS THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF REGIONAL ECONOMIESA.G. Ivanova, E.N. Kam yshanchenko, N.A. GrinevaBelgorod, RussiaCurrent economic studies are focused on rapidly developing cluster approach, which is based on the concept o f  economic clusters. In recent years the issue o f  cluster formation has become one o f  the main motifs o f  both federal and regional programs o f  socio-economic development.The concept o f  a cluster can be used in both analysis and practice. In the first case, the cluster is an individual company or industry, and an object o f  study, in particular prediction. In the second case, the cluster is an object o f  support within the framework o f regional development strategies, which developers often include measures for the formation o f  clusters in the hope that clusters improve productivity, innovation, competitiveness, profitability and employment in the region and in firms.This term cluster, also known as an industry cluster, competitive cluster, or Porterian cluster, was introduced and popularized by Michael Porter in “The Competitive Advantage o f  Nations” (1990) [7, p. 26].According to M. Porter’s theory, clusters are made up o f  the firms that are linked in some ways and that are geographically proximate. More precisely, clusters are geographic concentra­tions o f  interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in related in­dustries, and associated institutions such as universities, standards agencies and trade associa­tions in a particular field that compete and/or cooperate with each other. The fact that these firms and institutions are geographically proximate facilitates the movement o f  ideas and people be­tween them, which ultimately promotes innovative development and in particular the develop­ment o f  regional innovation system [8, pp. 15-16].Research on regional innovation systems has, on the one hand, demonstrated that the in­novative activity o f  firms to a large degree is based on localized resources such as a specialised labour market and labour force, subcontractor and supplier systems, a unique combination o f  dif­ferent types o f  knowledge, spillover effects, local traditions for co-operation and entrepreneurial attitude, supporting agencies and organisations and the presence o f  important customers and us­ers [5, p. 372]. On the other hand, the research revealed that the regional level is neither always nor even normally sufficient for firms to remain innovative and competitive, and pointed to the additional importance o f  innovation systems at the national and international level for firms in regional clusters [2, p. 204].The importance o f  the regional level is confirmed by results from the European compara­tive cluster survey (Isaksen), which shows that regional resources and collaboration are o f  major importance in stimulating economic activity in the clusters. In this study it was found that in many clusters firms increasingly find relevant research activities and other supporting services inside the cluster boundaries. Isaksen found that this was supported by formal organisations and social institutions, which helped to co-ordinate activities and manage transactions in the clusters [ l ,p .  78].Individual regions may get more specialised in specific clusters becoming more different but also more connected. This allows overall economic activity to remain distributed relatively equally across locations, even though individual regions change what they do. Regions that do not specialise may be in danger o f  falling behind. Therefore all o f  them need to be provided with the conditions and opportunities to participate successfully in this process [11, p. 8].Clusters can be part o f  what makes a region prosperous but they are not the only explana­tion for competitive advantages. The presence and depth o f  clusters in a regional economy is one aspect o f  the overall business environment that companies face in the location. Factor conditions, the context for rivalry, and demand conditions are other aspects that have to be considered. Clus­ters are more likely to emerge, prosper, and survive where these conditions support high produc­tivity and innovation [8, p. 10].189Clusters and regional specialisation are empirically associated with higher levels o f  inno­vation and prosperity. The European Cluster Observatory and other cluster mapping efforts, e.g. the profiling o f  specialisation patterns across cluster categories (groups o f  industries that empiri­cally co-locate) in regional economies in Europe, North America, and a few other countries has provided systematic evidence on these links. Between 30% and 40% o f  all employment is in in­dustries that concentrate, or ‘cluster’, regionally.Regions with a higher share o f  employment in industries that belong to strong clusters [9, p. 5] are generally more prosperous. If employment reflects activities in many industries that be­long to such clusters, then prosperity rises further. Positions in groups o f  clusters linked through common industries or in clusters that are also present in neighbouring regions provide additional benefits [4, p. 298]. While many other factors other than clustering can have an impact on pros­perity, the data provides clear evidence that clusters are significantly related to prosperity and there is therefore a need to consider clusters as a central part o f any economic strategy. A more extended analysis o f  these factors will be performed by the European Cluster Observatory on the basis o f  recent academic works on this topic.There is also such a thing as a cluster policy. Cluster policy is an activity in support o f  clusters, and it usually includes:-  elimination o f  barriers to innovation;-  investment in human capital and physical infrastructure;-  support the geographic concentration o f  related firms.Typically, cluster policy is seen as anti-competitive alternative to traditional measures o f  "industrial policy", in which the support o f  specific companies or industries. Critics o f  the cluster policy indicates that:-  concentration o f  production in the area within the cluster reduces the stability o f  the regional economy, reducing its diversification;-  dominance in the territory occupied in the cluster lowers the innovation, since it is largely a consequence o f  contact between people with significantly different knowledge and ex­perience, the opposite approach generates a self-perpetuating group-think, the reproduction o f  old ideas, attitudes and approaches;-  promoting cluster formation is the same subsidy as well as traditional measures o f  in­dustrial policy [3, pp. 7-8].But it is important to note that cluster policy should not be taken as a pretext for one­sided regional specialisation which makes regions more vulnerable to demand shocks [11, p. 19]. The emerging evidence suggests, however, that a cluster-based regional economy generates bet­ter outcomes. First, the economic costs o f  lower productivity due to a lack o f  specialisation have dramatically increased as the global economy has integrated markets. Second, dynamic clusters that are open to outside trends are better at dealing with external shocks, for example by transfer­ring existing skills into new market areas. And third, new research indicates that the most suc­cessful regions tend to have a portfolio o f  clusters related through linkages that ease the trade­offs between specialisation and diversification. There is therefore a need for cluster policy to be pro-active in reducing the risks o f  cluster-specific demand shocks on regional economic perfor­mance [3, p. 9].Analyzing the situation o f  clusters regulation in Russia, one can conclude that the concept o f  a cluster is not fixed by the law o f  Russian Federation. However, it is obvious that the interest towards clusters has been growing from the side o f  Russian government. In 2010 the Ministry o f  Regional Development prepared the Strategy o f  Russia’s Innovative Development till 2020. Most o f  the last was devoted to the cluster formation in Russian regions. This document recorded the start o f  support for creation and development o f  innovative clusters on a competitive basis [10, p. 24].The beginning was set with the creation o f a new Russian "territory o f  innovation" in Skolkovo, where the legal regime created an unprecedented, minimizing administrative barriers and the tax burden for the resident companies. A system o f  co-financing o f  private companies190innovative projects by the state presumes control over the organization o f  the project Skolkovo, as well as, potentially, through the Russian Foundation for Technological Development after its reorganization. For state-owned companies there will exist a system o f  support for the develop­ment and implementation o f  innovative programs [12].It is planned that a balanced development o f  the national and regional components o f  the innovation system will be implemented through a more efficient use o f  existing institutions -  the technology-innovative special economic zones, industrial parks, as well as through increased support for innovative clusters. The last w ill be done in the framework o f  co-financing from the federal budget o f  regional programs o f  small businesses support [10, p. 32]. Coordinating activi­ties focused on promotion o f  the development o f innovative regions will be Economic Develop­ment o f  Russia. The main agencies involved in this work will be Ministry o f  Regional Develop­ment o f  Russia, Russian Ministry o f Education, Ministry o f  Transport o f  Russia, Russian Minis­try o f  Energy, Ministry o f  Communications o f  Russia.Nowadays in Russia there are the following clusters:-  Forest products cluster in Arkhangelsk region;-  Agro and food processing cluster in Krasnodar region;-  Chemical products cluster in Perm region;-  Automotive cluster in Tatarstan region;-  ICT cluster in Tomsk region [9, p. 7].The effective realization o f  cluster approach in Russia is impeded by a number o f  prob­lems. The first one is the lack o f  assessment o f  market potential o f  the cluster. When using the cluster approach the emphasis should be not on the existing system o f  production organization (which is certainly important, but under current conditions not determinative), and not on the analysis o f  the markets in which the company o f any territorial entity is positioned. The cluster approach allows us to delineate the boundaries o f  the markets in which there are business enti­ties, as well as to determine the position o f  territory (city, region, etc.) in these markets. It is the market -  its scale, commercial, territorial and corporate structure -  which defines the require­ments for the organization o f  production in the territory [12].Inaccurate assessment o f  the market or its boundaries leads to wrong decisions and ac­tions o f  regional or municipal authorities. The most common errors are the limiting o f  the cluster boundaries within the Federation (or the municipalities) that for a number o f  clusters (e.g. forest cluster in Northwest Russia, covering more than five subjects o f the Federation, the grain-oilseed cluster o f  Southern Russia, the center o f  which are the three regions : Rostov Region, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territory) is unacceptable [9, p. 9]. It should be noted that inter-regional nature o f  many clusters requires the cooperation and synchronization o f  actions by the authorities o f  sev­eral subjects (personnel policies, location o f  production facilities, the implementation o f  infra­structure projects, etc.). Nevertheless, Russia has an extremely low level o f  cooperation. Until now, the regional governmental authorities prefer to compete with each other for investment, human and other resources.The second problem is the neglect o f  "communicative" nature o f  the cluster. One o f  the strengths o f  the cluster approach is that it allows you to isolate the corporate structure (major players) o f  a particular sector, as well as the potential to form a system o f partnerships, which is necessary for the development o f  the cluster. In this very important setting, on the one hand, the development o f  competition between companies, suppliers, and on the other -  on cooperation between customers and suppliers in a single technological chain [12].It should be noted that the cluster approach is primarily an analytical tool. Therefore, depend­ing on the analytical problem one can apply different schematization o f  the potential o f  the cluster.In conclusion, we note that the cluster approach has a beneficial influence on the econo­my, innovation, prosperity and competitiveness o f  the regional and national economy in whole. Also clusters promote the development o f  innovation systems and stimulate economic activity at the national and region levels. But clusters are not a panacea for all problems and the efficiency o f their use depends on many factors. The most significant o f  these are the willingness o f  region­al governments (both qualifying and political) to build a fruitful interaction with businesses, mu­191nicipalities, and most difficult, with partners who are outside the region: in other federal entities, entrepreneurs, research institutes and etc. If there is no such willingness, any analytical schemes and development remain on paper.References1. Asheim, В. Т., Isaksen, A. Regional innovation systems: The integration of local ‘sticky’ and global ‘ubiquitous’ knowledge // Journal of Technology Transfer.2002, No 27. pp. 77-80.2. Asheim, В. Т., Herstad, S. Regional clusters under international dress: Between local institu­tions and global corporations // Innovations, regions and projects. NORDREGIO report. 2003. No 3. pp. 203-239.3. Bathelt H., Strambach S. Spaces: Regional innovation systems and the globalising world economy, 2003. pp. 6-16.4. MacKinnon, D., Cumbers, A. and Chapman, K. Learning, innovation and regional develop­ment: a critical appraisal o f recent debates // Progress in Human Geography. 2002. No 26 (3). pp. 293-3115. Manning, S., Ricart, J.E., Rosatti Rique, M.S., Lewin, A.Y. From blind spots to hotspots: how knowledge services clusters develop and attract foreign investment // Journal o f International Man­agement. 2010. No 16 (4), pp. 369-382.6. Manning, S. Customizing Clusters: On the Role of Western Multinational Corporations in the Formation of Science and Engineering Clusters in Emerging Economies // Economic Development Quarterly. 2008. Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 316-323.7. Porter, M.E. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. New York, The Free Press. 1990. 857 p.8. Porter, M. Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy journal // Economic Development Quarterly. Vol 14. No.l, 2000. pp. 14-34.9. Prazdnichnykh, A. SME and Clusters in Russian Regions. Cases and Lessons for SME Policy // Bauman Innovation, Academy of National Economy VII Knowledge Economy Forum Ancona, Italy, June 1 7 -  19 2008. pp. 5-9.10. Puatinkin S. Clusters development: global experience // Minsk, Tesei, 2008. pp. 1-72.11. Innovation Clusters in Europe: A statistical analysis and overview of current policy support // DG ENTERPRISE AND INDUSTRY REPORT. 2008. pp. 7-23.12. Problem areas of the cluster approach in Russia. 2009. URL: http://bujet.ru/article/53196.phpCOMPETITIVENESS OF THE MORTGAGE HOME LENDING MARKETS OF RUSSIA AND THE USAS.A. Churikova, I.M. Luksha  Belgorod, RussiaDue to the active development o f  the real estate market, the stock market and the new tools used in an equity market, and to the turning o f  the last financial crisis into the global one, the mortgage lending theme has lately become o f  an extreme urgency.Mortgage home lending is a loan, given by a bank, mortgage company or other financial in­stitution for the purchase o f  a primary or investment residence. In a home mortgage, the owner o f  the property (the borrower) transfers the title to the lender on the condition that the title will be trans­ferred back to the owner once the payment has been made and other terms o f  the mortgage have been met. Mortgage home lending is considered to be a financial credit and an investment tool, forming technological system o f  target crediting o f acquisition o f  housing real estate, the base o f  which is the bail o f  real estate as the guarantee o f  recurrency o f  proceeds o f credit [ 1, p. 13].Last decades mortgage home lending used to be the mechanism o f solution o f  significant social problem through acquisition o f  a private accommodation. Recently mortgage home lend­ing has transformed into the independent segment o f  the national financial system containing the effective mechanism o f  accumulation and distribution o f  credit resources in the system o f  the financial flows. World experience indicates that the correct organization and pursuing the weighted state policy allows the mortgage to turn into self-financed system which provides and substantially defines the functioning o f  the housing market. The mortgage is capable o f  becom­ing the catalyst o f  development o f  the real estate market and related branches o f  the economy192

Clusters as the competitive advantages of regional economies

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Clusters as the competitive advantages of regional economies

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