Evaluation of the spatial concentration of small enterprises in the economy of a large city

Today the research of small enterprises activity in the development of agglomeration processes and the increase of economic efficiency of urban areas is one of the most relevant tasks. The article studies the methods of quantitative estimation of small enterprises concentration in terms of appearing agglomeration effects in the economy of a large city. Taking into consideration the production and functional determinants of economic growth in large cities, the author points out three areas for the analysis of spatial concentration of small enterprises: manufacturing industry, service sector, innovation activity. The suggested analytical tools were worked out on the basis of G. Ellison and E. Glaser approach to measuring the geographical concentration of economic activity. However, the calculation of Ellison-Glaser index allows to analyze the concentration only in a particular sector that does not solve the problem of complex research of agglomeration effects in the urban economy. In this connection the author suggests the calculation of integral index which reflects the total resistance of small enterprises concentration, taking into account the indices of manufacturing production, service sectors and innovation activity. As a result of the analysis of the southern federal district cities it was revealed that small enterprises have the agglomeration effect only in Astrakhan and Volgograd.