APPRAISAL OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THE FORMATION OF ECONOMIC CLUSTERS IN THE INDUSTRIAL BRANCHES OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, USING THE CLUSTER-INDEX

Abstract

The identification and mapping of indus- trial agglomerations with the help of the Cluster- Index, allows obtaining a comparative per- spective at the territorial level of the potential for the formation of economic clusters. The authors of the research calculated the Cluster- Index at a disaggregated level in the economy of the Republic of Moldova, identifying the indus- trial branches and regions where there are industrial agglomerations that could be suppor- ted and transformed into functional economic clusters. The obtained data reveal the existence in the country’s economy of industrial agglome- rations with a relevant level of concentration and those with a moderate level of concentra- tion, also indicating the very diverse composi- tion of the agglomerations, in terms of the industrial branches included. Geographically, most of the agglomerations are concentrated in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti. The research results can serve as an objective source of information for central and local public authorities, which aim to develop policies and tools to support economic clusters.

Keywords

• economic cluster
• location quotient
• mapping
• industrial agglomeration
• geographic concentration
• cluster index
• com- petitive advantage
• innovation