Keyword: «subadditivity of costs»

At the moment, the bulk of Russia's GNP is produced precisely by the entities of natural monopolies, and this determines the relevance of the problem under study. The purpose of the article is to define the essence of natural monopolies, as well as to assess the role that they play in the economy. Based on the results of the study, the authors reveal the approaches to determining the essence of a natural monopoly as an economic category, that is, its concept and features; specify its functions; identify the problems associated with the insufficient functioning of natural monopolies entities in Russia, and justify the need for government intervention.