Support of cooperation and integration as a priority area of stimulating entrepreneurial activity

The paper considers the role of cooperation and integration support in stimulating entrepreneurial activity of the population. At the same time, the author considers this area of work to be one of the priorities for the development of small and medium-sized businesses, increasing their competitiveness and strengthening the economic potential of the territory in the current conditions of external and internal shocks. Special attention is paid to the types of stimulation of entrepreneurial activity of the population in Russia. Based on official data of federal and departmental statistics, the analysis of the number of small and medium-sized businesses, the share of small and medium-sized businesses in the economically active population of the Russian Federation is carried out. A matrix of covering scenarios for the development of domestic small and medium-sized businesses with existing mechanisms for stimulating entrepreneurial activity has been constructed. In the course of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that state support and stimulation of the development of small and medium-sized enterprises will most likely be based on such scenarios as “finding ways of cooperation and integration”, “maintaining current performance indicators” and “stimulating individual entrepreneurial activity”. In the future, these scenarios could become the main one for the development of a system of indicators of regional policy in the field of support for small and medium-sized businesses. The article focuses on the practical absence of mechanisms for cooperation and integration of small and medium-sized businesses in federal and regional projects and entrepreneurship support programs, as well as well-formed indicators responsible for the state and dynamics of business cooperation and integration processes at the regional level.