Cluster policy: main directions and types

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

More than half a century of experience of the world's leading countries shows that cluster policy is still the most effective tool for promoting the development of a post-industrial globalized economy. The creation of clusters makes it possible to use the competitive advantages of the territory, since a group of companies from interrelated industries, as well as enterprises that support their activities, directly affect the development of the region and the country's economy as a whole.

Concept

In industrial policy, a cluster is understood as a set of geographically localized companies related by industry, the infrastructure that supports their activities, including scientific and educational institutions, suppliers of equipment and components, organizations providing consulting and specialized services.

The clusters include both residential and commercial real estate,educational institutions and other facilities that ensure the vital activity of people and organizations working in this cluster. Interrelated groups of companies are formed where it is necessary to develop key, innovative areas. The most successful clusters allow for a technological breakthrough and the formation of new market niches.

Cluster policy is a set of interrelated actions that is designed to stimulate and support private business and local governments in their efforts to create and develop clusters. State bodies can initiate the creation of industry groups of companies, but with the obligatory participation of regional authorities.

A bit of history

The first clusters began to form around the 1950s and 1960s in North America and Western Europe. These were local programs to support, as a rule, types of business traditional for the area. Around the 1970s, large-scale national programs to support the development of certain groups of enterprises began to appear, and since the second half of the 1990s, such cluster policy measures have already worked in all developed countries.

Clusters have become an important and effective instrument of economic policy and the implementation of the country's development strategy. The amount of funds directed from the state and local budgets has increased significantly. Long-term practice of implementing cluster programs in the leading countries of the world has shown its effectiveness.

For example, the BioRegio biocluster development project allowed Germany to become a leader in the sectorbiotechnology, 700 million euros in funding was allocated, which allowed the industry to grow by 30% during the program.

Types of clusters

There are different classifications. If we take as a basis the type of backbone organization around, in cooperation with which a group of companies is formed, then two types are distinguished. The main, and often initiative is:

A large-scale enterprise, anchored around which are usually formed technologically interconnected groups of enterprises. For example, in many countries, next to large enterprises producing primary products from hydrocarbons - ethylene, ammonia, enterprises are being built that further produce consumer products from these raw materials.
Organization that determines economic development (associations, chambers of commerce, regional agencies). Usually, specialized cluster policy agencies are involved in initiation and management, which can be either public or private.

Typology

According to the core of the cluster, the type of common and unifying features, the following types of clusters are distinguished:

based on a complex technological basis;
developing activities traditional for this region, which was typical for the early periods of cluster policy development, for example, tourism clusters in Italy and Austria;
enterprises linked by contractual relations;
intersectoral clusters;
a network formedseveral clusters belonging to different sectors of the economy and characterized by a high degree of aggregation, such as the chemical and automotive industries.

Policy Goals

The main goal of cluster policy is to achieve a high level of development, sustainable growth, diversification of the economy by increasing the competitiveness of enterprises. At the same time, all entities participating in the work of clusters, including suppliers of equipment and components, companies that provide the work process, including service ones, receive an incentive to develop.consulting, research and educational organizations.

The purpose of cluster policy is also the development of key, strategic technologies and industries, when the country seeks to achieve an advantage in the global high-tech market.

Directions

Despite the fact that states use a variety of tools for industrial development, the main directions of cluster policy are determined.

Promotion of institutional development in many countries is the main direction of state influence, it includes the creation of a specialized agency that initiates and develops industrial clusters, carries out strategic planning, determines specialization and spatial distribution.

Mechanisms are being developed to support projects aimed at introducing high technologies, modern management methods, and improving the efficiency of interaction. In many countries, within the framework of the cluster policy of the region, there are competitions for obtaining funding, which is awarded to the enterprise that has provided the most promising projects.

The main direction is to create favorable conditions for development, attract investment in cluster infrastructure, including engineering networks and real estate, improve the quality of labor resources and provide tax benefits and preferences.

Main Tasks

The cluster policy of any state is primarily aimed at creating conditions for development. However, for its effectivenessit is necessary to solve the following tasks:

formation of conditions, including the development of strategies that ensure the operation of high-tech enterprises that increase the competitive advantages of group members;
providing effective support, including small and medium-sized businesses, attracting investment, developing innovation and industrial policy, engineering infrastructure, promoting exports;
information support, provision of consulting, methodological and educational assistance to sectoral and regional cluster policy. Coordination of the activities of all participants in the process: the state, local authorities and business.

Models

Depending on the degree of influence and role of the state in the development of cluster policy, there are two models:

Anglo-Saxon (USA, Canada, Australia), has a significant influence on the formation of clusters of market self-regulation mechanisms. It works with minimal government intervention, which only has to create conditions for cluster initiatives and reduce barriers for initiators. Regional cluster policy is responsible for the creation and organization of funding. The central government directly, including financially, supports only groups of enterprises that are of strategic importance for the national economy.
Continental (including Japan, Sweden, South Korea), here the state plays the most active role in the implementation of cluster policy. State bodies carry out activities to initiate them,identify priority areas, develop national programs for the development of key industries, create infrastructure and support measures.

Policies

The competitiveness of a country is determined by many depending on the degree of development of clusters, which are the result of targeted efforts of the whole society. There are several types of cluster policy, depending on the degree of state participation in their work.

The first type is a catalytic policy, when state bodies only establish interaction between the entities participating in the activities of the cluster. It does not participate in cooperation.
The second type, when, in addition to the supporting, catalytic function, elements of control over further development and growth stimulation are added.
The third type of cluster policy, typical for Asian countries, provides for the participation of the state in matters of specialization of enterprises, their development and growth.

Russia in the world of clusters

The development of the cluster policy of the Russian Federation is carried out by relevant federal ministries and local governments. This policy is aimed at innovative development, development and implementation of the latest technologies and equipment, modern management systems, obtaining special knowledge and identifying new ways to enter global highly competitive markets.

Due to the geographical diversity of territories and the level of economic development of various subjects,many regions of Russia are developing their own specific industries. For example, the cluster policy of the Nizhny Novgorod region is aimed at developing the petrochemical and automotive industries, which have been developed here since Soviet times.

Due to the fact that the country has become more actively involved in the global division of labor, some regions began to develop new industries. For example, St. Petersburg, whose cluster policy of the region contributed to the successful development of not only traditional shipbuilding, but also created one of the largest automotive clusters in the country from scratch. Russia is characterized by a more supportive policy, the regions create conditions for attracting investment in certain industries. Basically, the initiators of the creation of clusters are regional authorities.

Cluster policy in Russia is aimed primarily at the development of the innovation component, investment attractiveness, the creation of new high-tech industries and the training of a highly skilled workforce.