Does Russia Need Another Capital City?

Abstract

 For the last two decades, the Russian society has been debating the need to move the capital city or transfer some of the capital cities’ functions to another city. In this paper, the author analyses the issue of over-centralization, when resources, effects, function concentrate in capital cities while the rest of territories faced to degradation. Based on overview of the world experience of capital cities transfer and redistribution of their functions, the author concludes that there are no objective prerequisites for moving the capital of Russia. The nature of the discussion is to ensure a more balanced spatial development of the centre of the country and its regions. Polycentricity should be the basis of the Russian state’s spatial and regional policy. To achieve polycentricity would be necessary the decentralization of corporate and public administration, the formation of supporting cities’ structure, and changing natural resource rent usage through regional welfare funds.