Local self-reliance means that we, the people, are free to exercise power over our lives — how we provide for our families, how resources are shared and allocated in our communities, and how decisions are made by government, corporations, and businesses, because it affects all of us.
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To demonstrate how corporate concentration has reshaped food access in the U.S., ILSR's interactive map shows food deserts alongside the location of grocery stores.
A report providing guidance for municipalities to support and partner with local composting initiatives, meeting their composting targets while fostering myriad economic and cross-sectoral benefits.
Amazon has quietly captured a growing share of government purchasing. This major report explains how, and what to do about it.
The story of 19 small Western Massachusetts towns that worked together over a decade and a half to build an alternative to the monopoly marketplace.
David Morris, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and a pioneering voice for community-scaled economics and local self-determination, died on June 11, 2025, at age 79. One of America’s most visionary and prescient thinkers, David was an early and incisive critic of corporate concentration and free trade.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, he helped lay the groundwork for what are now ascendant alternatives — including local green energy and community broadband — and crafted countless innovative policy proposals to advance justice, equity, and community power. His clarity, conviction, and vision will be deeply missed.
Remembering David Morris