INDEPENDENT BUSINESS INITIATIVE
Policy Guides
Report: Tax Dodging is a Monopoly Tactic
March 30, 2023
Local and federal policymakers have systematically structured tax policy in a way that deepens the concentration of corporate power, Stacy Mitchell and Susan Holmberg argue in this issue brief, co-published with the Roosevelt Institute.... READ MORE
Boxed Out: How Big Retailers are Flexing Their Supply Chain Power to Kill Off Small Businesses
September 22, 2022
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
June 29, 2022
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
Katy Milani
May 19, 2022
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
ILSR Calls for New Merger Standards to Halt Concentration, Revive Local Economies
April 27, 2022
In 1982, the two agencies charged with overseeing America’s antimonopoly laws — the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission — radically weakened their policy governing mergers. Now the agencies are embarking on an overhaul of that policy. In this comment letter, ILSR details how current enforcement policy deviates from the anti-merger laws passed by Congress, describes the consequences, and outlines as set of recommendations for updating the policy to stop concentration and revive local economies.... READ MORE
2022 Independent Business Survey: Top Challenges and Policy Priorities
ILSR
March 30, 2022
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
Issue Brief: Handcuffed by the Courts
Ron Knox
March 8, 2022
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
Kennedy Smith
January 24, 2022
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
Webinar: Small Business's Big Moment
Kennedy Smith
January 20, 2022
On February 10th, 2022, ILSR and Main Street America hosted a conversation about how communities can use some of their federal American Rescue Plan Act allocations to support small business growth and development. The webinar was based on a new report by ILSR that outlines a dozen ideas for using American Rescue Plan Act money to cultivate and support small businesses.... READ MORE
Biden’s Executive Order Takes Aim at Monopoly Power on Behalf of Small Businesses, Farmers, and Workers
Ron Knox
July 26, 2021
President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Order aimed at undoing concentrated corporate control and ending decades of consolidation across the economy. The order’s provisions reflect many of ILSR's priorities.... READ MORE
Congressional Testimony: How Concentrated Corporate Power Undermines Shared Prosperity
Katy Milani
July 14, 2021
ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell testified before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee on Wednesday, July 14th. She spoke about how the U.S. has abandoned its antimonopoly policies, which has undermined independent businesses and the vital role they play in our economy and democracy.... READ MORE
Issue Brief: How Amazon Exploits and Undermines Small Businesses, and Why Breaking It Up Would Revive American Entrepreneurship
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
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 New York.... 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
Rebuilding Small Business for a Robust Recovery: A Federal Policy Agenda
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
ILSR's Shaoul Sussman Testifies in Support of NY Antitrust Legislation
September 17, 2020
ILSR’s legal fellow Shaoul Sussman testified before the New York State Assembly, in support of new state legislation, the Twenty-First Century Antitrust Act.... READ MORE
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
Our Guide Gives State and Local Leaders Tools to Fight Corporate Monopolies
Jess Del Fiacco
July 15, 2020
As state and local leaders grapple with how to create a true recovery — one that lifts wages, fosters small businesses, and rebalances power — combating outsized corporate power is a key strategy. Check out ILSR's guide to antimonopoly policies for states and cities.... READ MORE
Biting Back: Delivery Apps are Gobbling Up Restaurant Revenues, and Cities Have Had Enough
Kennedy Smith
May 29, 2020
Wall Street-funded delivery services are taking a huge bite out of restaurants' meager revenues. Restaurant owners are desperate and furious — and cities are pushing back.... 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
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
Local Policy Matters: How to Grow Independent Businesses in Your City
July 17, 2018
This toolkit offers independent business owners concrete tips for engaging with their city officials and advocating for policies that strengthen and grow local businesses. The featured policy platform outlines policies local governments can use with on-the-ground stories of communities that have implemented these policies to support independent businesses.... READ MORE
Report: Amazon’s Next Frontier: Your City’s Purchasing
July 10, 2018
A national contract opens the way for Amazon to take over billions of dollars in local government spending. In this report, we examine the contract and find serious concerns — including that it leaves local governments at risk of being ripped off, and sets Amazon up to expand its monopoly power.... 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