Ask whether something is fair, and most of us immediately sense if it is or isn’t. Humans are hardwired to know when anything is out of integrity. We feel it in our bones and in our gut. Our whole body sends us warning signals. Fair doesn’t mean everyone gets everything they want. It means nobody is rigging the game for advantage.

Research supports that instinct. Yale psychologists Christina Starmans, Mark Sheskin and Paul Bloom reviewed lab studies, cross-cultural research and experiments with young children, and concluded that people are bothered more by unfairness than inequality. In their words, “people prefer fair inequality over unfair equality.”

The fairness factor matters, because no “Grand Bargain” will give every American everything they want. What it can do is make the ground rules fair, so more people experience an honest process that represents their interests. We’re moving beyond the win/lose mindset. We think a fair bargain has to pass three tests.

1. Everyone gives something, and everyone gets something.In a real bargain, no side wins everything and no side gets stuck with the bill. The 39 reforms offered in the Grand Bargain are intentionally built to respect and accommodate different positions and the need for tradeoffs. Tax breaks that mostly help high-income families would be cut, and inherited wealth would no longer escape capital gains taxes. Social Security would increase benefits for low earners while slowing benefit growth for high earners. A price on carbon would come paired with income tax cuts for low-income and rural families. Workers keep the right to join a union, and the right not to. Families get more choice among public and charter schools, and under-resourced schools get more money per student. Every side gives a little. Every side can point to what it gained.
   

2. More people end up better off.Fairness isn’t only about who pays, who wins, or who sacrifices. It’s about where and how we land. The Grand Bargain aims for real gains and measurable movement: job training that leads to better-paying work, broadband and investment for rural and struggling city neighborhoods, more affordable housing, year-round school meals for kids who need them, lower drug prices, and health plans incentivized and rewarded for keeping people healthy. The question is simple: are more Americans improving their life circumstances? The Grand Bargain is fair for current and future generations. The package is designed to reduce the deficit and bring the national debt below 100% of GDP by 2030.
   

3. People have a real voice in the Grand Bargain.How we reach a deal matters as much as what’s in it. Yale’s Tom Tyler, a leading academic researcher on fairness, has found people are more likely to keep abiding by a decision when it was made through a fair process – one that was neutral, respectful and built by hearing all voices. That’s why the Grand Bargain includes open primaries, an end to partisan gerrymandering, and congressional task forces where lawmakers must work out their differences instead of scoring points. A fair deal deserves a fair table.
   

Here’s the reassuring and practical part: Americans already agree on more than we’re led to believe. In a recent YouGov survey, 73% of Americans said they want Congress to make this package of reforms a priority. This isn’t wishful thinking; the results are verifiable.

Fairness will not be championed in Washington without citizen participation and advocacy. We must shape it together, weighing trade-offs, showing up and saying what is acceptable and what is not. We can be role models and ask others to contribute to meaningful solutions. That is the work of the Grand Bargain Project, and you have a seat at the table. Please add your voice by visiting the Grand Bargain Launchpad here.