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New Report: The Dollar Store Invasion
In this report, we spotlight communities rising up against dollar chains and how federal policymakers need to address the ways in which misguided policies are fueling the destructive proliferation of dollar stores. … Read More
Stop Dollar Store Proliferation in Your Community: A Strategy Guide
More than 75 cities and towns have defeated dollar storer projects in the last four years. Our new strategy guide can help you keep these chains out of your community.… Read More
Boxed Out: How Big Retailers are Flexing Their Supply Chain Power to Kill Off Small Businesses
Powerful retailers are killing off small businesses by dominating supply chains. Our new report argues it’s time to revive the Robinson-Patman Act and restore antitrust enforcement against predatory buying.… Read More
Report: How New Federal Antimerger Guidelines Can Roll Back Corporate Concentration and Build Local Power
Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice announced plans to revise their merger guidelines, setting the stage for a new era in antitrust regulation. ILSR’s new report details how new federal antimerger guidelines can restore competition and build local power. … Read More
Issue Brief: Why the 21st Century Antitrust Act is Critical for New York Small Businesses
Rampant market power abuse is endangering the economic dynamism that New York small businesses generate. State lawmakers have an opportunity to level the playing field.… Read More
2022 Independent Business Survey: Top Challenges and Policy Priorities
ILSR surveyed 908 small, independent businesses across across the country. We asked about the challenges they face and the policies they believe would improve the survival and success of independent businesses.… Read More
2022 Independent Business Survey: Snapshot of Amazon Marketplace Sellers
When we surveyed over 900 small, independent businesses across the U.S., 94 reported being third-party sellers on Amazon’s Marketplace. This is a snapshot of their responses.… Read More
Issue Brief: Handcuffed by the Courts
Beginning in the late 1970s, a series of Supreme Court cases upended U.S. antitrust laws — laws that were once the linchpin of a comprehensive, democratic check on corporate power. This issue brief traverses the history and argues that Congress must take action to undo these pro-monopoly decisions.… Read More
Report: Small Business’s Big Moment
One of the biggest challenges facing America’s towns and cities is leveling the playing field for small businesses. Our new report shows how civic leaders can use the American Rescue Plan to do just that, which will provide communities and local economies with lasting benefits for decades to come. … Read More
Report: Amazon’s Toll Road
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
Issue Brief: How Amazon Exploits and Undermines Small Businesses, and Why Breaking It Up Would Revive American Entrepreneurship
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 Report Shows How Local Delivery Services are Superior to the Big Apps
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
Rebuilding Small Business for a Robust Recovery: A Federal Policy Agenda
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
Policy Brief: Local and State Governments Have Marshalled $9.27 Billion for Small Business Relief
Our research has found that cities, counties, states, and community organizations have established more than 800 programs to provide financial assistance to small businesses in the wake of the pandemic. These programs have deployed more than $9.27 billion in grants and loans. Yet the funds are running out. Congress should address the unprecedented crisis facing small business by quickly providing the resources local governments need to do this important work.… Read More
Report: 26 Actions Local Leaders Can Take to Help Small Businesses Weather the Pandemic
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
