BREAKING THE CHAIN - The antitrust case against Wal-Mart

Executive director Barry Lynn argues that the rise of Wal-Mart exposes a deep failure of modern antitrust policy and a fundamental misunderstanding of what a “free market” requires to function. He contends that Wal-Mart’s enormous buying power allows it to operate not as a market participant but as a monopsonist that dictates prices, production methods, and even cultural content to suppliers, workers, and communities, hollowing out competition and economic freedom in the process. Tracing America’s antimonopoly tradition from the Founders through the breakup of Standard Oil and the A&P, Lynn shows how the Reagan-era retreat from antitrust enforcement enabled unprecedented consolidation and transferred power from producers and citizens to giant corporations. He concludes that restoring robust antitrust enforcement—and ultimately breaking Wal-Mart into smaller firms—is essential to preserving democratic governance, economic resilience, and individual liberty.