The Calculation of Synergistic Effect of Urban Agglomerations (Exemplified by Sverdlovsk oblast)

The article deals with the concepts “urban agglomeration” and “synergistic effect” in their interface with agglomeration economies. A brief historical insight into the theory of synergy enabled the author to list various treatments of synergistic effect, as well as to discuss the methods to measure and analyze it. The paper examines the reasons for emergence of synergistic effect in economy and presents the author's understanding of the relation between synergistic and agglomeration effects. Having applied the method of factor assessment the author proposes an algorithm for calculating a synergistic effect of an urban agglomeration and tests it out at the example of Yekaterinburg, Metallurgical and Serov urban agglomerations. The developed methodology allows determining one of the key indicators of socioeconomic development of urban agglomerations what will assist in arranging a regular monitoring of the economies of urban agglomerations and adopting corrective measures to focus on the positive aspects of agglomeration processes and keep negative consequences to a minimum.