When thinking about the idea of self-government, first we have to determine what we mean by this category. The participants of the discussion – a member of the council of the Alliance of Free Democrats, one of the most interesting figures of contemporary Hungarian economics, a founding member of BAL (Left Alternative) and a leader of Néppárt (People's Party) – first analyse how they interpret self-government and then outline their arguments for and against it. They try to determine the sphere where the principle of self-government can be applied, as well as its conditions and limitations. The round table discussion will continue in the next issue of the periodica.