Self-government is often mistaken for its legal, procedural, or institutional manifestations, such as voting, representation, majority rule, and the freedoms of speech, association, and press. These are necessary but insufficient conditions of self-government. Self-government is, at root, a culture of public responsibility among the citizenry; that is, a widely accepted norm that citizens can and should take a role in public decision-making. People must believe that they have the right, duty, and ability to govern themselves. If they stop believing these things, self-government is effectively dead even if the rituals are still observed.