Concept:
- The contribution of self-government is clearest when it is compared with rule by a single authority that answers to no one.
- The comparison brings out three gains, participation, representation and accountability.
Step 1: The gain in participation.
Under a single unaccountable authority, the citizen is only a subject who receives orders. Through institutions of self-government the same citizen elects the representatives, contests elections and takes part in the making of decisions.
Citizens acquire a stake in the system, and a government in which people have a stake is accepted as legitimate.
Step 2: The gain in representation.
A single ruler can reflect only one point of view. An elected council or assembly seats members from many communities, regions and opinions, so the diverse groups and views in society all find a place.
Public policy is then shaped by discussion among these views rather than by one of them alone.
Step 3: The gain in accountability.
Representatives hold office for a fixed term and must return to the voters. That necessity forces them to explain their decisions and to correct unpopular ones, which no unelected authority is obliged to do.
Step 4: The combined effect on power itself.
Because self-government operates at the local, state and union levels together, power is distributed among as many citizens as possible instead of collecting in one pair of hands, which is exactly what the source recommends.
Final Answer: Self-government strengthens democracy by turning subjects into participants, by seating many different views in the bodies that make policy, by forcing representatives to answer to the voters, and by spreading power across several levels rather than concentrating it.