Political Factors of the Federal Investment Policy Implementation Toward the Russian Regions (the Case of Financial Support of the Territorial Clusters in 2008 – 2016)

The study examines the distribution of federal transfers of investment projects using the example of federal support for territorial clusters. The main purpose of the paper is to find out whether there is a political component in the distribution of investment funds. This study is being included in the direction of research on the financial aspects of relations between the federal center and the subjects of the Russian Federation. The statistical analysis of federal support for the development of territorial clusters provides weak evidence of the influence of political factors, partially confirming or refuting the hypotheses formulated at the beginning of the research about the relations between loyalty and the lobbying potential of the region, with the possibility of receiving subsidies and their magnitude. It can be concluded that the main federal programs for supporting territorial clusters are depoliticized.