Ecosystem approach in the theory of industrial development

Aim. To conduct a comparative methodological analysis of research paradigms of industrial development in order to assess the analytical capabilities of the ecosystem approach in studying contemporary forms of interorganizational industrial interaction.

Objectives. To systematize the scientific concepts of industrial development that have shaped the theoretical prerequisites for the emergence of the ecosystem approach; to identify the methodological prerequisites, analytical potential, and limitations of various research paradigms of industrial development; to develop the author’s periodization of research paradigms of industrial development as an analytical framework for their comparative methodological analysis; to reveal the analytical capabilities of applying the ecosystem approach to the study of contemporary forms of interorganizational industrial interaction.

Methods. The methodological basis of the study consists of the principles of systemic economics, evolutionary economic theory, and institutional analysis, which make it possible to view industrial development as a multilevel process of transformation of interorganizational interaction forms in industry. The study employs methods of theoretical generalization, retrospective and comparative analysis of scientific concepts, as well as structural-logical modeling.

Results. It is established that the formation of the ecosystem approach is accompanied by an expansion of analytical tools for studying industrial development and a rethinking of the boundaries of applicability of previous theoretical models. The author proposes a typology scheme for the research stages in the evolution of ideas about industrial interaction, allowing for a comparison of changes in the objects of analysis, research priorities, and the analytical tools used. It is shown that the transformation of research approaches is driven by the expansion of the range of interorganizational interactions and the need to account for institutional and technological factors that previously remained outside analysis. A shift in the research focus of economic science is observed, from the analysis of individual production structures to the study of complex configurations of interorganizational interaction.

Conclusion. The development of the economic theory of industry indicates a transition toward examining distributed coordination mechanisms based on aligning the interests of technologically and institutionally heterogeneous participants. The results obtained make it possible to specify the analytical capabilities of the ecosystem approach in interpreting contemporary models of industrial interaction.

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