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In The New York Times: How a Labor & Small Business Alliance Could Rebuild the Middle Class

In The New York Times: How a Labor & Small Business Alliance Could Rebuild the Middle Class

Susan Holmberg

June 18, 2021

Labor and small business were once natural allies in a New Deal coalition that backed muscular policies to limit corporate power and build a thriving middle class. A growing antimonopoly movement is rekindling this alliance, writes Stacy Mitchell in The New York Times.  READ MORE


Sen. Klobuchar Calls for Breakups in Town Hall Co-Hosted by Small Business Rising

Sen. Klobuchar Calls for Breakups in Town Hall Co-Hosted by Small Business Rising

Hannah Henderson-Charnow

June 17, 2021

"Unless you force some divestiture of assets, [monopolies are] going to just keep going the way they are... Yes, breakup[s have] to be on the table when it comes to these companies," Senator Klobuchar at a town hall event co-hosted by Small Business Rising. She was responding to a question posed by an independent bookstore owner in Minneapolis.  READ MORE


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


Statement: New Federal Legislation to Rein in Big Tech is a Major Step Forward

Statement: New Federal Legislation to Rein in Big Tech is a Major Step Forward

Virgil McDill

June 11, 2021

Read ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell's statement in response to today’s release of legislation by the House Judiciary Committee designed to address the outsized power and destructive harms of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook.  READ MORE


ILSR Launches Weekly Antimonopoly Happy Hour

ILSR Launches Weekly Antimonopoly Happy Hour

Ron Knox

June 11, 2021

Every Thursday at 6pm CT, ILSR's Ron Knox hosts the irreverent Antimonopoly Happy Hour. Over the hour-long talk show, Ron and a cast of special guests will break down the most crucial news (and gossip!) from around the world of politics, economics, and regulation.  READ MORE


Recent

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


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


New York Bill Moving Through Senate Takes on Monopoly Power

New York Bill Moving Through Senate Takes on Monopoly Power

Ron Knox

May 20, 2021

A groundbreaking new bill moving through the New York State Senate this week will, if enacted, greatly enhance the ability of the state and private plaintiffs to take on monopoly power and level the playing field for independent businesses in  READ MORE


Senate Briefing Centers Frontline Communities

Senate Briefing Centers Frontline Communities

Katy Milani

May 12, 2021

Stacy Mitchell participated in a Senate briefing with other leading experts, organizers, and impacted communities to expose the ways monopoly power poses a threat to our democracy, the health of our economy, and our country’s already severe racial disparities.  READ MORE


The Key to Stopping Amazon? Think Like a Citizen

The Key to Stopping Amazon? Think Like a Citizen

Susan Holmberg

May 7, 2021

Stacy Mitchell joined Baratunde Thurston on his “How to Citizen with Baratunde” podcast to talk about how she became an antimonopolist, as well as America’s longer history fighting monopoly power: “From the beginning, there was this understanding that you had to deal  READ MORE


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In-Depth

Rebuilding Small Business for a Robust Recovery: A Federal Policy Agenda

Rebuilding Small Business for a Robust Recovery: A Federal Policy Agenda

Stacy Mitchell

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


Policy Brief: Local and State Governments Have Marshalled $9.27 Billion for Small Business Relief

Policy Brief: Local and State Governments Have Marshalled $9.27 Billion for Small Business Relief

Kennedy Smith

October 19, 2020

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

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

Report: Amazon's Monopoly Tollbooth

Stacy Mitchell

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

A Make or Break Moment for Local Solutions — Episode 126 of Building Local Power

A Make or Break Moment for Local Solutions — Episode 126 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

May 13, 2021

In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by three ILSR colleagues to READ MORE


Keeping NYC Land Out of Corporate Hands — Episode 118 of Building Local Power

Keeping NYC Land Out of Corporate Hands — Episode 118 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

March 21, 2021

Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell are joined by Brad Lander, who represents BREAD MORE


Is Amazon Picking Winners and Losers Among America’s Cities? — Episode 121 of Building Local Power

Is Amazon Picking Winners and Losers Among America's Cities? — Episode 121 of Building Local Power

Jess Del Fiacco

March 4, 2021

Host Jess Del Fiacco and ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell are joined by award-winning journalist AlecREAD MORE


Stacy Mitchell on SiriusXM’s Tell Me Everything

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 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


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