Money – both received and spent – is part of the normal workings of democratic life. It enables political participation and representation. Money helps spread the voices and ideas that are the basis for democratic politics.  It is nonetheless clear that money is capable of inflicting significant distortions on the democratic processes. As we conclude six months into the super-electoral year, the issue of political finance has come to the fore quite prominently in many of the elections that have taken place.International IDEA´s Programme Manager for Money in Politics (MiP) Yukihiko Hamada speaks to Magnus Öhman, Senior Political Finance Adviser at International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) to discuss the critical role of money in politics and unravel the complexities and challenges related to political finance. Guest: Dr Magnus Öhman, Director, Regional Europe Office, and Senior Political Finance Adviser (mohman@ifes.org) Background Readings: https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/political-finance-reforms-how-respond-todays-policy-challengeshttps://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/funding-political-parties-and-election-campaigns-handbook-political-financehttps://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/digital-solutions-for-political-finance-reporting-and-disclosure-a-practical-guide.pdf