Development of inter-municipal cooperation as a factor in the intensification of investment processes in a region (on the example of the Vologda region)

Currently, the heterogeneity of economic space, relatively low development rates and negative trends in the socio-economic development of individual territories, and limited resource opportunities (including investment opportunities) are among the significant problems of municipalities. One of the mechanisms for solving them at the level of local government bodies is the institution of inter-municipal cooperation. The aim of the paper is to analyze the possibilities of territorial and sectoral inter-municipal cooperation aimed at overcoming the negative imbalances of the region's investment development (based on a case study of the Vologda region). The methods of cluster analysis and time series analysis were used, as well as tabular and graphic methods for the visual representation of the study results, the application packages “MS Excel” and “STATISTICA”. The paper examines the main trends in the development of inter-municipal cooperation processes in the Russian economy, identifies the specifics of the interaction of municipal entities in the Vologda region, and presents a territorial and sectoral approach to the development of different forms of cooperation based on the example of the Vologda region. The obtained results can be used by regional and local authorities in the development of investment policy, the formation of a system of organizational and economic mechanisms for the intensification of investment processes in the region. The study materials presented in the paper may be interesting for scientific discussion, for use in scientific and educational activities.