Monopoly Power
Featured
ILSR and Small Business Rising Members Urge Senate to Confirm Lina Khan
Katy Milani
April 15, 2021
ILSR and Small Business Rising coalition members, representing over 130,000 businesses across the country, submitted letters to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting Lina Khan’s nomination to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Both letters urge Chair Cantwell and Ranking Member Wicker to lead the members of the committee in a swift confirmation process. READ MORE
In Wired: Big Music Needs to Be Broken Up to Save the Industry
Susan Holmberg
March 16, 2021
Ron Knox explains how consolidation in the music industry, like the pandemic, has been disastrous for artists. The monopolization of three chokepoints in the distribution of music — record labels, streaming, and live venues — is making it impossible for the broad “middle class” of artists to reach listeners.READ MORE
Statement from ILSR's Stacy Mitchell on Nomination of Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission
Virgil McDill
March 9, 2021
Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, issued the following statement in response to the expected nomination of Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission. READ MORE
Our Antimonopoly Town Hall Draws Nearly 400 Small Businesses
Katy Milani
February 25, 2021
Nearly 400 people tuned into our lively town hall on February 22nd, which detailed how Amazon’s growing dominance hurts independent businesses and what Congress must do to curb monopoly power. The event featured Congressman David Cicilline, along with leading antitrust experts and small business advocates.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
Recent
Your Antimonopoly Reading List
Jess Del Fiacco
February 17, 2021
In a recent presentation to ILSR staff, Christopher Mitchell shared key takeaways from six recent books on monopoly power in the United States.READ MORE
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 use the full extent of their legal authority granted by Congress.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
In the Washington Post: Why Antitrust History is So Important
Susan Holmberg
October 8, 2020
In the Washington Post, Senior Researcher Ron Knox explains Congress's groundbreaking investigative report in terms of U.S. antitrust history.READ MORE
In the American Prospect: Revoking Big Tech’s Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card
Susan Holmberg
October 5, 2020
As debates ramp up about how Congress and watchdog agencies should address the monopoly power of Big Tech, ILSR legal fellow Shaoul Sussman argues in the American Prospect that we must prioritize revoking the liability shield these platforms enjoy.READ MORE
In-Depth
Report: Fewer Small Businesses are Receiving Federal Relief Loans in States Dominated by Big Banks
April 29, 2020
A significantly larger number of federal relief loans are reaching small businesses in states where small, local banks comprise a greater share of the market, compared to states where big banks are more dominant, an ILSR analysis has found.READ MORE
Report: Walmart’s Monopolization of Local Grocery Markets
June 26, 2019
In 43 metropolitan areas and 160 smaller markets, Walmart controls 50 percent or more of the local grocery market. No other corporation in history has ever amassed this degree of control over the U.S. food system. Our findings provide a stark illustration of the failings of contemporary antitrust policy.READ MORE
Report: Monopoly Power and the Decline of Small Business
August 10, 2016
Small businesses have been in steep decline. In this report, we argue that anticompetitive behavior by large, dominant corporations is largely to blame and present three reasons to bring a commitment to fair markets for small businesses back into antitrust policy. The report won an award for antitrust scholarship in 2017.READ MORE
Federal Antitrust Advocacy
Statement from Stacy Mitchell on Big Tech Antitrust Report
October 6, 2020
This investigation has uncovered extensive and detailed evidence that Amazon has amassed outsized market power and is exploiting its dominance to crush competitors and monopolize markets.READ MORE
Hill Briefing: Breaking the Power of Big Tech
September 2, 2020
ILSR helped organize and participated in a briefing, cosponsored by more than 40 local and national economic and racial justice, small business, and antimonopoly groups, making the case for Congress to break up and regulate Big Tech. The event included opening remarks from Congressman David Cicilline followed by two lively panels. Watch!READ MORE
ILSR Submits Recommendations for Antitrust Reform to Congressional Committee
May 11, 2020
Stacy Mitchell provides the House Judiciary Committee with recommendations for future antitrust legislation.READ MORE
ILSR's Testimony on Amazon's Dominance Before the House Judiciary Committee
July 15, 2019
ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell testified on Amazon's market power before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its antitrust investigation into dominant digital platforms.READ MORE
Statement on House Antitrust Investigation into Big Tech
Hibba Meraay
June 4, 2019
In response to the House Judiciary Committee’s announcement that it will begin a study of the impact of dominant technology platforms, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance released the following statement.READ MORE
Audio & Video
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 election, takeaways from the preliminary results, and the work that needs to continue.READ MORE
Zephyr Teachout on Building an Antimonopoly Movement (Episode 108)
Jess Del Fiacco
September 3, 2020
Zephyr Teachout, author of the new book Break 'Em Up, shares her thoughts on building an antimonopoly movement, what she finds encouraging and discouraging in our current moment, and how she approaches antimonopoly work as a democracy activist.READ MORE
Democratizing Antitrust with Harry First (Episode 91)
February 6, 2020
Host Stacy Mitchell talks with Harry First about how competition policy has become captured by technocratic lawyers and economists, and strayed from its roots as a political movement for economic justice.READ MORE
Watch Frontline Documentary on Amazon's Reign Over Us — Featuring ILSR's Research & Interviews with Stacy Mitchell
Susan Holmberg
February 4, 2020
FRONTLINE has drawn on ILSR’s research and interviews with co-director Stacy Mitchell to create a powerful documentary on the reign of Amazon.READ MORE
How to Reclaim Antitrust for Working People with Sanjukta Paul (Episode 87)
Hibba Meraay
December 12, 2019
Host Stacy Mitchell is joined by Sanjukta Paul, law professor and antitrust and labor expert. They delve into how antitrust laws have been used to hamper the efforts of workers and unions while corporations get a blank check.READ MORE
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