That's a nice idea, but doesn't seem to work in practice. In my experience, most region lords don't see this as having power, they see it as an extra chore they have put up with.
In a game like this the developers can only create the framework, what the players do with that frame work is largely out of developer control.
And you end up with situations like in Kindara, where a Duchess is apparently logging in enough to not auto-pause, but refuses to answer messages or appoint a lord to one of her rurals for more than a month. There's 1000 bushels of food stuck in that rural with no way to get it out while her city starves, and the duchess can't even be banned because she's a royal.
Been in similar situations and they sure are frustrating. However they are completely valid situations to be confronted with. It is supposed to be difficult to cut the rug out from under royals, especially royals with powerful positions.
