home rule

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun The principle or practice of self-government in the internal affairs of a dependent country or other political unit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun The rule or government of an appendant or dependent country, as to all local and internal legislation, by means of a governing power vested in the people within the country itself, in contradistinction to a government established by the dominant country.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun self-government in local matters by a city or county that is part of a national government