Interregional sectoral cooperation of Pskov region: cluster approach

The article explores interregional sectoral cooperation in provincial regions of the North-Western Federal District (interregional cooperation in “center-periphery” format is not considered in the research). The article is aimed at developing theoretical and methodological support for interregional sectoral cooperation. The research subject includes interregional sectoral cooperation of the North-Western Federal District provincial regions. The hypothesis of the research is defined as follows: the comparison of the closeness of economic integration and economic coherence level makes it possible to identify the structure of interregional cluster and the interaction model inside it. The methodology of the research includes the following steps: determination of economic integration closeness by means of content analysis of target regions’ strategic documents; evaluation of target regions’ economic coherence level with the use of correlation analysis between the rates of gross regional product growth; developing proposal for creating interregional clusters for target regions. The research result is the models of interregional sectoral cooperation, created by the authors, as well as proposals for building up interregional clusters in Pskov region, namely manufacturing, construction and tourism clusters. The significance of the research results is defined by the possibility of their use both within the framework of the state governance and cluster management. The line for further research can be seen in the improving the methodological support for interregional cooperation in specific sectors of regional economy, in the first place, in the sectors which are recognized in provincial regions of the North-Western Federal District as the priorities of socio-economic development: agribusiness, forestry, and tourism. The article was supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities. Grant №16-12-60002 dated 10.05.2016.