Self-Government

(From governance: L. gubernare, to govern). Self-management, self-government. In the democratic political system, this term is applied to territorial government bodies elected by the people at the community and municipal level, and also to the elected officials of cooperative partnerships and the elected bodies of social-democratic organizations. S.-G. is an ideal of anarchist systems and of some currents of socialism, youth protest, feminist and environmental, etc., movements. Contemporary humanists support the efforts of popular movements at the level of neighborhoods, educational institutions, clubs and associations, etc., to organize themselves democratically following the principle of s.-g., which is understood as a variant of direct and participatory democracy. Humanists strive to collaborate with other citizens in the exercise of their civil and constitutional rights, to broaden the scope of democracy and create organs of local, municipal power, based on the principle of s.-g. as the democratic expression of their will, of the culture of consensus and non-violence, of human solidarity.