Re-imagining politics to build a fairer society: Q&A with Daniel Chandler

For Daniel Chandler, some key insights into reforming our politics to make it more inclusive, egalitarian and democratic come from the philosopher John Rawls. In his latest book Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like, Chandler draws on Rawls’s thinking to put forward practical ideas to reform our current model, to restore trust, boost meaningful political participation, and overcome divisive identity politics. These include capping financial donations to political parties, mandating greater transparency in lobbying, making voter registration easier, banning second jobs for MPs, and holding elections outside of working days. Beyond these, he also advocates more radical democratic innovations, some with the potential to profoundly reshape our political institutions and processes.