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ILSR Submits Comments as Federal Trade Commission Embarks on a Rare Review of Its Antitrust Policy

ILSR Submits Comments as Federal Trade Commission Embarks on a Rare Review of Its Antitrust Policy

Zach Freed

August 30, 2018

In a series of hearings this fall, the Federal Trade Commission will examine whether it should be doing more to check concentrated economic power. ILSR has submitted comments to the agency that highlight the impact of concentration on independent businesses and outline the dangers of Amazon's platform power.  READ MORE


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In Boston, City Council Members Introduce Proposal to Regulate Chain Stores

In Boston, City Council Members Introduce Proposal to Regulate Chain Stores

Olivia LaVecchia

July 24, 2018

Boston is the latest city to introduce a formula business proposal, which would make national chains a conditional use throughout the city.  READ MORE


In Book Review for Washington Monthly, Stacy Mitchell on “The Truth About Big Business”

In Book Review for Washington Monthly, Stacy Mitchell on "The Truth About Big Business"

Stacy Mitchell

July 24, 2018

In the July-August issue of "Washington Monthly" magazine, ILSR's Stacy Mitchell rebuts a new book's claims that the monopolization of the U.S. economy is a good thing. As she does so, Stacy also mounts a vigorous counter-argument, explaining how economic  READ MORE


New Toolkit Helps Independent Businesses Advocate for Policies that Support the Local Economy

New Toolkit Helps Independent Businesses Advocate for Policies that Support the Local Economy

Marie Donahue

July 17, 2018

When independent businesses meet with their local officials, they help build the mindset that independent businesses matter. A new Local Policy Action Toolkit created by ILSR with the Advocates for Independent Business coalition offers independent business owners and retailers concrete  READ MORE


Report: Amazon’s Next Frontier: Your City’s Purchasing

Report: Amazon’s Next Frontier: Your City’s Purchasing

Stacy Mitchell

July 10, 2018

Amazon recently secured a national contract that opens the way for billions of dollars in local government spending to shift to the company, but there's been virtually no reporting on the deal. In this new report, we examine the contract  READ MORE


As Amazon Moves to Capture Local Government Spending, Here’s What You Can Do

As Amazon Moves to Capture Local Government Spending, Here's What You Can Do

Olivia LaVecchia

July 10, 2018

A recent contract opens the way for billions of dollars in local government spending to shift to Amazon. The good news is that, for concerned citizens and public officials, Amazon's push into the public sector offers a way to take  READ MORE


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In Depth

Amazon Doesn’t Just Want to Dominate the Market—It Wants to Become the Market

Amazon Doesn’t Just Want to Dominate the Market—It Wants to Become the Market

Stacy Mitchell

February 15, 2018

This cover feature for The Nation looks at how Amazon is a radically new kind of monopoly with ambitions that dwarf those of earlier empires, and what we should do about it.  READ MORE


Report: How Amazon’s Tightening Grip on the Economy Is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities

Report: How Amazon’s Tightening Grip on the Economy Is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities

Stacy Mitchell

November 29, 2016

Amazon has extended its tentacles across our economy. In this report, we pull back the curtain on the company, and find that it's at the center of increasing inequality and diminishing opportunity, and that it's concentrating power in ways that endanger competition, community life, and democracy. We also examine how public policy should address Amazon's high costs.  READ MORE


How Rising Commercial Rents Are Threatening Independent Businesses, and What Cities Are Doing About It

How Rising Commercial Rents Are Threatening Independent Businesses, and What Cities Are Doing About It

Olivia LaVecchia

April 20, 2016

As the cost of leasing commercial space soars in many U.S. cities, this report examines what's behind the skyrocketing rents and explores six broad policy strategies that cities are proposing to keep space appropriate and affordable for independent businesses.  READ MORE


Monopoly Power and the Decline of Small Business

Monopoly Power and the Decline of Small Business

Stacy Mitchell

August 10, 2016

The U.S. is much less a nation of entrepreneurs than it was a generation ago. In this report, which won an award for antitrust scholarship in 2017, we suggest that the decline of small businesses is owed, at least in part, to anticompetitive behavior by large, dominant corporations. The report presents three reasons to bring a commitment to fair markets for small businesses back into antitrust policy, and concludes by outlining specific steps to do just that.  READ MORE


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