Independence (8)
I believe the answer is:
autonomy
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">independence</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I know that autonomy is a type of independence)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for autonomy that I've seen before include "Freedom of action" , "Freedom to choose" , "Self-rule" , "'Independence, self-sufficiency (8)'" , "Independence, freedom to govern" .)