A government report is expected to illustrate the need for England's cities to have mayors with tax-raising and spending powers.
The State of the Cities report is a detailed study of 56 towns and cities, due to be released on Tuesday.
It found cities in England are lagging economically behind those in Europe.
The report, from the deputy prime minister's office, calls for strong leadership which could mean more directly-elected mayors.
It follows a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, a centre-left think-tank, that called for cities such as Birmingham and Manchester to be run by a powerful elected figure, in the mould of London's Mayor Ken Livingstone.
Big gaps
The think-tank said international evidence showed mayors with strong financial influence and powers could improve economic performance and political accountability.
The State of the Cities report said while there has been a dramatic economic turnaround in some cities, there were still big gaps between the best performing UK and European cities.
It found even high-scoring economic success stories like Leeds and Bristol were still a long way behind Frankfurt and Copenhagen.
But it said the UK now has the best chance in 100 years to compete, as the government looks at giving city leaders more power.
City leaders have said they want more power over transport and a wider tax base to aid economic output.
The 300-page study is due to be unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Local Government Minister David Miliband.
(BBC)
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