Featured
Our Antimonopoly Town Hall Draws Nearly 400 Small Businesses
Katy Milani
February 25, 2021
Independent business owners from across the country joined a roundtable with Congressman David Cicilline, Zephyr Teachout, other antitrust experts, and small business leaders. They detailed how Amazon’s growing dominance hurts independent businesses and what actions are needed from Congress to curb the power of Amazon and other monopolies. READ MORE
In ProMarket: How the FTC Protected the Market Power of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
February 19, 2021
The FTC has long protected the power of a few dominant drug middlemen, like CVS, to crush local pharmacies and fleece Medicaid programs. In this ProMarket piece, Stacy Mitchell and Zach Freed look at how the FTC not only failed to act — but worked to stop states from doing so. READ MORE
In The Washington Post: Small Pharmacies Beat Big Chains at Delivering Vaccines. Don't Look So Shocked
February 5, 2021
In the Washington Post, Stacy Mitchell explains why we shouldn't be surprised that West Virginia and North Dakota's independent pharmacies are beating the chains in vaccine distribution. The small pharmacies have proved remarkably nimble, while CVS and Walgreens have stumbled. READ MORE
Recent
Small Business Action: Personnel Appointments are Pivotal to Antitrust Enforcement
February 3, 2021
Fifteen independent business associations, representing over 60,000 independent businesses across the country, have submitted a letter to President Biden urging him to appoint personnel who are committed to restoring competition, ensuring small businesses have a fair shot, and willing to READ MORE
In Civil Eats: The Peanut Industry Has a Monopoly Problem
Ron Knox
January 29, 2021
Monopoly power in the peanut industry has pushed thousands of small farmers to the brink of bankruptcy. It has also made peanuts more expensive to taxpayers than any other crop in the country. READ MORE
The People vs. Amazon: Our Summary of Congress's Findings
Ron Knox
December 14, 2020
We summarized Congress's Big Tech monopoly report, particularly its findings on Amazon's monopoly power and its recommendations for how Congress can liberate the economy from Amazon’s stranglehold. READ MORE
In The Nation, the Left Should Fight for Small Business
Susan Holmberg
December 2, 2020
It's hard to believe, but Democrats used to be the party of small business. In The Nation, Stacy Mitchell and Susan R. Holmberg argue that the left should once again embrace small business. Doing so is crucial to reversing inequality READ MORE
In-Depth
Rebuilding Small Business for a Robust Recovery: A Federal Policy Agenda
December 3, 2020
In this policy brief, we argue that moving aggressively to rebuild small, independent businesses and reverse the concentration of corporate power would produce a more vigorous, equitable, and stable recovery. We lay out two dozen policy recommendations across a 6-point agenda to enable independent businesses to weather the pandemic and thrive and grow in its aftermath. READ MORE
Report: 26 Actions Local Leaders Can Take to Help Small Businesses Weather the Pandemic
Kennedy Smith
July 29, 2020
ILSR's latest report describes 26 actions that community leaders — including local governments, local business groups, nonprofit organizations, business improvement districts, and other entities — can adopt to help small businesses weather the crisis. READ MORE
Report: Amazon's Monopoly Tollbooth
July 28, 2020
Amazon’s dominance of online retail means that hundreds of thousands of small businesses must rely on its site to reach customers. In this report, we find that Amazon is exploiting its gatekeeper power to extract a growing cut of the revenue earned by these sellers. It's doing this by imposing ever-larger fees on them. This tactic is often dooming their businesses. It's also enabling Amazon to entrench its monopoly grip on e-commerce, while expanding its dominance into logistics and advertising. READ MORE
Featured Audio and Video
Stacy Mitchell on SiriusXM's Tell Me Everything
Susan Holmberg
December 17, 2020
Stacy Mitchell joined John Fugelsang on SiriusXM's "Tell Me Everything" to talk about small businessREAD MORE
Kennedy Smith talks to Mayors about How to Help Small Business
Kennedy Smith
November 30, 2020
ILSR Senior Researcher Kennedy Smith talked to the Mayors' Institute on City Design about how to helREAD MORE
Stacy Mitchell on Strong Towns Podcast
Susan Holmberg
November 30, 2020
Stacy Mitchell talks to the Strong Towns podcast about how corporate power is concentrating during tREAD MORE
A Cornucopia of Policy Opportunities in the New Year — Episode 115 of Building Local Power
Jess Del Fiacco
November 25, 2020
From small business relief to a solar homes stimulus, we look ahead to policy opportunities in the nREAD MORE
On The Laura Flanders Show: Stacy Mitchell Discusses the Future of Antitrust Post-Election
Jordan Ashby
November 10, 2020
On The Laura Flanders Show, ILSR co-director Stacy Mitchell discusses the legacy of this year's elecREAD MORE