This paper deals with the basic concepts on cities within contemporary globalisation. First, it briefly reviews the city perspective within the world system theory (concepts of over-urbanisation, under-urbanisation, and dependent urbanisation), new international division of labour, theory of the second circuit of capital and informational society. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the concepts of global and world cities and their implications for the cities in developed and developing countries (including post-socialist). Urban policy and urban regime concepts are analysed in the third part, by focusing on economic competitiveness and democratic potentials of (developed, developing and post-socialist) cities in the global world. Finally, paper concludes that new analytical concepts on cities developed since the1970’s actually deconstruct and reconstitute inherited forms of urban analysis with more or less success. Increased importance of cities as socio-economic actors in global economy has not contributed to the closure of the developmental gap. Contrary to that, it has been reproducing according to the new regulatory principles.