Regional Clustering in the Digital Economy

The article focuses on the advancement of theory and methodology to develop a qualitatively new model of the regional clusters' improvement using digital technologies. New conditions of the economy transformation define the model's relevance. The study provides a scientific basis for the regional clusters' formation in the context of the economy's digitalization. For this purpose, we applied general scientific methodology using system and dialectic methods, deductions, decomposition, the economic analysis and synthesis. In addition, our methodological toolkit includes mathematical methods of statistical data's processing. As a technique for analysing the region's cluster development, we used the Difference in difference method (DiD) that allows assessing the effect of clustering as a difference of the results prior and after cluster's formation. We tested our methodology on the example of the Lipetsk region, where the regional clustering is actively implemented thus implying the need for its improvement. In accordance with the offered model, we suggest to control cluster interactions by means of a virtual business environment in a form of the organizational platform with a multidimensional network architecture. Based on this model we developed a mechanism of interaction of the cluster participants in the course of organizing the region's social and economic space. This mechanism suggests creating virtual platforms in the spheres of mutual interests and joint activity between the cluster's participants (with a possibility of creating cooperative start-ups or venture enterprises). The developed conceptual model of regional clusters can be applied for the strategic development of "The valley of mechanical engineering" cluster. Further research can focus on the systems analysis of all clusters and their influence on the organization of the region's social and economic space.