Current State and Prospects of Development of Municipal Self-Government in Big Cities

Introduction. The article is devoted to the issue of identifying the general and specific features of arrangement of local self-government in big cities. This issue is relevant both for the theoretical understanding of the activities of local authorities in city districts, and for improving the system of local self-government in megalopolises. Materials and Methods. The study used publicly accessible information and scientific literature on countries and cities with the most pronounced models and approaches to the arrangement of local self-government. The authors adopted the comparative method of research and analyzed the regulatory framework of the selected countries and cities in terms of the arrangement of local self-government as well as the administrative and territorial division. Results. A number of foreign models of municipal self-government in large cities have been considered. The analysis of the selected cases (including those of major cities in Europe, America and Asia) has demonstrated the similarity of certain tendencies inherent in both Russian and foreign megalopolises. A trend has been revealed towards the centralization of powers at the city level of administration as a result of the delegation or alienation of resources from the district municipalities. Discussion and Conclusion. The foreign experience of arrangement of local self-government in the territories within cities demonstrates that the determining factor for the models of municipal self-government in megalopolises is the balance between the representation of intracity municipalities at the city level and their autonomy, and not the influence of the legal system or political regime. The results of the research can be used when studying the political subjectivity of city districts. Further research will help develop a conceptual framework for the political analysis of the district-level municipalities.