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The framing and interpretation of the provisions in the Australian Constitution which established the office of Governor-General only make sense when fully situated within an imperial context. The Australian Constitution was drafted by British colonists loyal to the Crown who prized an ongoing connection with Britain. Interpretation of the constitutional office of Governor-General and its conventions was therefore sensitive to evolving relations between Australia and the other Dominions with Britain. Significant change followed the reworking of status in the Balfour Report at the 1926 Imperial Conference which saw the controversial appointment of the first Australian to the office of Governor-General. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research conducted in 5 Russian local communities in 2011–2015 discovered asymmetric principal-agent relations between regional and municipal authorities in which regional authorities have all the necessary resources for effective control over the urban elites and interference in the local political process. However, despite the increasing centralization, the regional-local government relationships remain variable. The active presence or absence of the governor and his team in urban politics largely depends on personal relations between the heads of regional and municipal administrations, the resource base of the territory, the severity of conflicts and/or problems that threaten its stable development. Spectrum of relations between the regional and local elites varies from quite constructive and relatively conflict-free, to rather tense and open confrontation, while the interference of the regional authorities in the activities of the local government bodies differs from episodic to permanent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]