Industrial Districts and Industrial Clusters. Conceptual Approaches from Italian and Eurasian Experiences

Interest in the issues of cluster development, and their impact on the socio-economic development of territories leads to numerous studies in this area. Moreover, despite the fact that the cluster rhetoric has strengthened in the scientific and political lexicon, a number of fundamental problems remain unresolved, which constrains the dissemination of this approach in practice. It is necessary to determine the rational basis of cluster policy, as well as the areas and conditions in which the application of this tool is justified. Without serious understanding, the cluster approach risks to be superficial, rather retouching the problems, and quickly replaced by other “fashionable” concepts, without having a significant impact on solving the problems of innovative development of the industrial region. The purpose of the study is to review conceptual approaches to the development of industrial clusters, extending their period from the early Italian experience to modern Eurasian studies. The study is based on scientific works of scientists devoted to the issues of defining the essence of clusters and cluster policy, assessment of its impact on the development of the economy of the region. The study uses methods of system and comparative analysis. The novelty of the author’s approach consists in expanding the temporal boundaries and highlighting various aspects of early and modern cluster approaches. The study identified historical, structural, and evolutionary features of cluster development, which allows developing practical tools for the implementation of cluster policy in the region. The results obtained indicate the diversity and multidimensionality of existing approaches to the development of industrial clusters and the need for their further development.