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New Report: Amazon’s Toll Road

New Report: Amazon's Toll Road

Stacy Mitchell

December 1, 2021

Amazon is exploiting its position as a gatekeeper to impose steep and growing fees on the small businesses that must rely on its site to reach the online market, our new report finds. Even as these exorbitant fees bankrupt sellers, they are generating huge profits for Amazon, a fact that the tech giant conceals in its financial reports. These profits are not only the spoils of Amazon's monopoly power. They are the essential fuel that feeds its market-domination strategies.  READ MORE


In The American Prospect: Why Congress Must End America’s Merger Free-for-All

In The American Prospect: Why Congress Must End America’s Merger Free-for-All

Luke Gannon

October 28, 2021

Senior Research Ron Knox writes in The American Prospect about how decades of unchecked mergers has killed jobs, suppressed wages, and smothered independent businesses. With Lina Khan and DOJ nominee Jonathon Kanter, there is newfound hope to overhaul current merger laws. But Congress must act to end America’s merger free-for-all.  READ MORE


Recent

ILSR Joins New York Labor Unions, Small Businesses, and Community Organizations to Form New Coalition Calling for Legislation to Combat Corporate Power in NY

ILSR Joins New York Labor Unions, Small Businesses, and Community Organizations to Form New Coalition Calling for Legislation to Combat Corporate Power in NY

Virgil McDill

November 10, 2021

"By establishing clear rules to stop dominant corporations from abusing their power, this legislation will safeguard democracy and create new vitality in struggling rural and urban areas alike," said ILSR's Stacy Mitchell.  READ MORE


On Pitchfork Economics: How Walmart Gutted Communities

On Pitchfork Economics: How Walmart Gutted Communities

Luke Gannon

October 28, 2021

Stacy Mitchell joins Pitchfork Economics to explain how policies drove the rise of Walmart and Amazon, and the urgency of the antitrust movement.  READ MORE


Listen: Big Music Should Be On The Antitrust Agenda

Listen: Big Music Should Be On The Antitrust Agenda

Luke Gannon

October 5, 2021

Ron Knox joined WVON’s The Morning Show to jam about monopoly power in the music industry, which is preventing independent streaming platforms from competing and hurting artists.  READ MORE


In Governing: New Opportunities for Cities to Create Affordable Space for Small Business

In Governing: New Opportunities for Cities to Create Affordable Space for Small Business

Kennedy Smith

July 28, 2021

In Governing, ILSR Senior Researcher Kennedy Smith and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty examine how cities and towns can create affordable space for local businesses and foster a built environment that supports entrepreneurship.  READ MORE


Biden’s Executive Order Takes Aim at Monopoly Power on Behalf of Small Businesses, Farmers, and Workers

Biden’s Executive Order Takes Aim at Monopoly Power on Behalf of Small Businesses, Farmers, and Workers

Ron Knox

July 26, 2021

President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Order aimed at undoing concentrated corporate control and ending decades of consolidation across the economy. The order’s provisions reflect many of the specific issues and priorities that ILSR has been working to advance.  READ MORE


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In-Depth

Fact Sheet: How Amazon Exploits and Undermines Small Businesses, and Why Breaking It Up Would Revive American Entrepreneurship

Fact Sheet: How Amazon Exploits and Undermines Small Businesses, and Why Breaking It Up Would Revive American Entrepreneurship

Stacy Mitchell

June 16, 2021

In splashy campaigns and lobbying at the Capitol, Amazon claims that it has “a mutually beneficial relationship” with the small businesses that depend on its platform. This fact sheet tells the real story, and explains what Congress needs to do.  READ MORE


Special Delivery: Our New Report Shows How Local Delivery Services are Superior to the Big Apps

Special Delivery: Our New Report Shows How Local Delivery Services are Superior to the Big Apps

Susan Holmberg

May 25, 2021

Unlike the predatory Wall Street-backed apps, local delivery services charge lower fees, support restaurants, keep wealth in the community, and demonstrate that when it comes to food delivery, local delivery models are better and more efficient.  READ MORE


In The Nation, the Left Should Fight for Small Business

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 & rescuing democracy. It’s also key to winning Congress.  READ MORE


Featured Audio and Video

Chuck Marohn Explains What’s Wrong With America’s Roads — Episode 136 of Building Local Power

Chuck Marohn Explains What's Wrong With America's Roads — Episode 136 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

September 30, 2021

Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell interview Chuck Marohn, President of Strong Towns. Chuck is also the author of the new book Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town, which explores what conventional transportationREAD MORE


Watch: New Wave of Federal Recovery Funds Can Rebuild Main Street

Watch: New Wave of Federal Recovery Funds Can Rebuild Main Street

Susan Holmberg

September 13, 2021

At the Future Cities conference, ILSR Senior Researcher Kennedy Smith moderated a panel discussion about how cities can leverage federal recovery funds to revitalize their commercial districts, create more small businesses, and reduce racial and economic inequality.READ MORE


Main Street’s Missing Ingredient: Small Scale Manufacturing — Episode 133 of Building Local Power

Main Street's Missing Ingredient: Small Scale Manufacturing — Episode 133 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

August 19, 2021

Host Jess Del Fiacco, ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell, and Senior Researcher Kennedy Smith are joined by Ilana Preuss, the founder of Recast City, a firm that works with city officials and local leaders to integrate space for small manufacturers intoREAD MORE


Listen: Hardware Group Says Big Tech Bills are an Urgent Opportunity for Small Businesses

Listen: Hardware Group Says Big Tech Bills are an Urgent Opportunity for Small Businesses

Susan Holmberg

August 5, 2021

ILSR's Stacy Mitchell joined Dan Tratensek of the North American Hardware and Paint Association to talk about the momentum in Washington, and at the local level, to level the playing field for small business.READ MORE


Centering Racial Justice in the Antimonopoly Fight — Episode 128 of Building Local Power

Centering Racial Justice in the Antimonopoly Fight — Episode 128 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

June 10, 2021

Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell are joined by Solana Rice and Jeremie Greer of Liberation in a Generation. They discuss their recent publication Anti-Monopoly Activism: Reclaiming Power through Racial Justice, which argues for organizers of color to READ MORE


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