Clusters: Coordination, inter-firm relationships and competitive advantages

The paper aims to analyse the cluster concept from the perspective of its relationships with coordination modes, interfirm interaction, and competitive advantage. The existing definitions of clusters do not fully cover and logically connect these concepts, which leads to their overly broad interpretation. This, in turn, complicates making a correct choice of cluster policy measures that would allow obtaining the desired result of increasing the competitiveness of industries, regions, and the economy as a whole. Methodologically, the article relies on new institutional economics and system analysis. The research methods used assume a theoretical study of the abovementioned concepts to create a systemic understanding of clusters. This comprehension is necessary to ground the cluster policy productive measures focused on the industry-specific characteristics of the firms included in the clusters being formed. The article shows that the informational nature of agglomeration economies failed to be considered in full often leads to the conclusion that the very fact of firms clustering together can result in an increase in their competitiveness. In practice, such a merger, especially if supported by the government, can improve the economic performance of firms and provide their comparative advantages, but does not guarantee an increase in competitiveness. The theoretical and practical significance of the study lies in the substantiation and development of recommendations for the cluster policy development and improvement in Russia while taking into account the limited scope of its productive application.