Gravitational mechanism of special economic zones: essence and applied aspects

The polarization of geo-economic space-time, manifested in the uneven distribution of various types of activity and unbalanced rates of development, makes it relevant to study structures with economic gravity. Special economic zones occupy a special place among such structures, as they are capable of stimulating export-oriented growth and changing the spatial configuration of the global economy. The purpose of this article is to conduct a theoretical and methodological analysis of the foundations of the zonal concept, explaining the sources of economic gravity in special zones and the factors contributing to its differentiation. The author identifies two types of theoretical foundations for the zonal concept: general ones, which form the epistemological basis and include, among other things, blocks of theories of agglomeration, institutional, general, and foreign economic development; and special ones, which form the epistemological superstructure and consist of approaches to zonal functioning. A systematic analysis of the theoretical foundations of the special zones concept has made it possible to identify and differentiate between basic sources of zonal gravity – concentration, institutional maturity, and quality of economic growth – and advanced sources – foreign economic potential. At the same time, special zones, by promoting “concentration,” stimulate the spatial redistribution of production activities and ensure the integration of the national economy into the global economic system; by developing “institutional maturity,” they enable the launch and maintenance of export-oriented industrialization; by improving the “quality of economic growth,” they have a positive impact on the creation of new value-added industries. Foreign economic potential allows zones to function as self-sustaining systems in which grouped industries form a mutually supportive whole, facilitating the integration of national companies into high-value links in global production chains. The author has developed a gravitational mechanism for the functioning of special zones and identified ways in which these zones can exert a gravitational influence on the development of trade, production, investment, technological, and other ties between national economies and the global system.