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Monopoly Matters

Posts in Op-Eds

Restoring Anti-monopoly Through Bright-Line Rules

Restoring Anti-monopoly Through Bright-Line Rules

Open Markets Institute on ProMarket proposes a system of simple rules that complies with the traditional American approach to protecting and restructuring an open and democratic society, With the five key planks discussed in this article, OMI offers an opportunity to reinstate antimonopoly through this bright-line initiative. With clear objective to reimpose America’s open democracy, the Open Markets team declares, “From the first, effective antimonopoly policy has relied on simple, bright-line rules. Today again, a comprehensive set of simple structural limitations— implemented through legislation, regulation, and policy guidance—is critical to protecting our democracy and our most fundamental liberties.”

Op-EdsOpen MarketsApril 26, 2019April 2019, Secondary Feature, 2019, Democracy & Ideology

American prosperity depends on stopping mega-mergers

American prosperity depends on stopping mega-mergers

Open Markets Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan published an op-ed on Financial Times' Alphaville explaining why America's prosperity depends on stopping mega mergers. He looks at the proposed T-Mobile-Sprint merger and makes the case as to how this merger will not only further concentrate and wireless market from four big players to three but subsequently harm the public by raising prices and workers in the industry by resulting in lower wages.

Op-EdsSandeep VaheesanApril 25, 20192019, April 2019, Competition Law & Philosophy, Sandeep Vaheesan

Meat Processing Is A Dangerous Job. It’s About to Get A Lot Worse.

Meat Processing Is A Dangerous Job. It’s About to Get A Lot Worse.

Open Markets' Food & Power reporter Claire Kelloway published a feature on Talk Poverty about how the meat processing industry is about to get a lot worse thanks to a new pork inspection rule the Trump administration is seeking to pass. The new rule would have inspection lines run even faster and plant employees will have to take responsibility for visual inspection of meat, putting workers and eaters at risk.

Op-EdsClaire KellowayApril 24, 20192019, April 2019, Food & Agriculture, Food & Power, Claire Kelloway

Big Tech Is Spying on Your Wallet

Big Tech Is Spying on Your Wallet

Open Markets Editorial and Policy Director Phil Longman published a feature piece on the Washington Monthly explaining how corporations primary objective in collecting your personal data is to gouge you. He explains how today's big tech platforms are no different from historic network industries — railroads and the telegraph — and how considering price discrimination should be an important standard in the national privacy debate.

Op-EdsPhil LongmanApril 8, 20192019, April 2019, Privacy, Phil Longman

The Old-School Answer to Global Trade

The Old-School Answer to Global Trade

Amid controversy over President Trump's "new NAFTA", Open Markets fellow Beth Baltzan joins the trade debate with a groundbreaking essay on the Washington Monthly calling for a bold rethink of America’s trade policies to curb corporate power, protect workers and the environment.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsApril 5, 20192019, April 2019, Labor, Trade & National Security

Trump’s Big Tech Bluster

Trump’s Big Tech Bluster

Open Markets reporter Matthew Buck and Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan publish an op-ed on The New York Times highlighting that while President Trump's tweets criticize Facebook and Google, the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department is making life easier for potential monopolists in Silicon Valley.

Op-EdsSandeep VaheesanMarch 6, 20192019, March 2019, Sandeep Vaheesan

To Revive Rural America, We Must Fix Our Broken Food System

To Revive Rural America, We Must Fix Our Broken Food System

Open Markets fellow Austin Frerick argues on The American Conservative that America’s agricultural system has become extractive, and more and more of the profits are flowing to a few. It is little wonder that monopolies and corporate farms have grown more powerful at the expense of workers and family farmers.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsFebruary 27, 20192019, February 2019, Food & Agriculture, Food & Power

Amazon deserves more than rejection from New York. It should be punished

Amazon deserves more than rejection from New York. It should be punished

Amazon pulled out of its deal to build a corporate campus in New York City amid bad press, grassroots activists and local opposition lawmakers calling out the bad deal. Matt Stoller writes on The Guardian that Simply saying ‘no’ to its headquarters isn’t enough – Amazon should be investigated for abusing monopoly power.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsFebruary 16, 20192019, February 2019, Amazon

Amazon pulling out of New York is a victory for New Yorkers. Now Congress should examine its monopolistic actions.

Amazon pulling out of New York is a victory for New Yorkers. Now Congress should examine its monopolistic actions.

Amid news that Amazon pulled out of building its corporate campus in New York City thanks to bad press and the work of grassroots activists and local opposition lawmakers calling out the bad deal, Open Markets board member Zephyr Teachout writes on NBC News that people are fed up with big corporations bullying their employees and our elected officials. They're going to keep fighting back.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsFebruary 15, 20192019, February 2019, Amazon

I bet on Facebook—and helped Soros write the speech that incensed its execs

I bet on Facebook—and helped Soros write the speech that incensed its execs

How one of Mark Zuckerberg’s mentors helped billionaire philanthropist George Soros write the Davos speech at the center of another Facebook controversy. Open Markets Institute advisory board member Roger McNamee reflects on Facebook on Fast Company.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsFebruary 6, 20192019, February 2019, Facebook

Green New Deal Needs To Include Agriculture Technology

Green New Deal Needs To Include Agriculture Technology

Open Markets fellow Austin Frerick writes on Forbes magazine that when policymakers talk about “green jobs,” they tend to default to examples in solar power, wind and other sources of renewable energy—or perhaps manufacturing and supply chain management. They’re less likely to talk about agriculture.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsJanuary 25, 20192019, January 2019, Food & Agriculture, Politics

Democratic attacks on AOC expose the party’s fear of taking on moneyed interests

Democratic attacks on AOC expose the party’s fear of taking on moneyed interests

The Democratic Party’s loyalty to plutocrats led to political disaster. But many of its leaders won’t change their ways.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsJanuary 24, 20192019, January 2019, Politics

How to Close the Democrats’ Rural Gap

How to Close the Democrats’ Rural Gap

In Claire Kelloway’s article “How to Close the Democrats’ Rural Gap” in the January/February issue of The Washington Monthly, she argues that antitrust needs to be part of this solution. She writes, “the biggest cause of growing regional inequality isn’t technology; it’s changes in public policy, embraced by both parties, that have enabled predatory monopolies to strip wealth away from farmers and rural communities and transfer it to America’s snazziest zip codes.”

Op-EdsClaire KellowayJanuary 14, 20192019, January 2019, Competition Law & Philosophy, Food & Agriculture, Food & Power, Claire Kelloway

The FTC Might Just Be Progressives’ Secret Weapon

The FTC Might Just Be Progressives’ Secret Weapon

A century ago, reformers gave the Federal Trade Commission extraordinary powers to take on abusive corporations. It’s time to wake the agency up.

Op-EdsSandeep VaheesanJanuary 14, 20192019, January 2019, Politics, Sandeep Vaheesan

New York Should Say No to Amazon

New York Should Say No to Amazon

A city that thrives on the energy of its neighborhood merchants should not offer incentives and giveaways to an internet giant known for squashing small businesses.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsJanuary 11, 20192019, January 2019, Amazon

The One Issue the Left and Right Can Agree On

The One Issue the Left and Right Can Agree On

Even Tucker Carlson and Goldman Sachs are talking about the pernicious impact of monopolies in the U.S.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsDecember 31, 20182018, December 2018, Competition Law & Philosophy, Politics, Amazon

Right-Sizing American Capitalism

Right-Sizing American Capitalism

Fundamentally rebuilding our democracy means engineering our corporations and markets to enable the freedom of the producer from the domination by the monopolist or financier.

Op-EdsOpen MarketsDecember 13, 20182018, December 2018, Competition Law & Philosophy

The Uneasy Case Against Occupational Licensing (Part 2)

The Uneasy Case Against Occupational Licensing (Part 2)

In this post, we will explain why licensing’s mix of consumer protection and labor market stabilization is a legitimate policy option for a wide range of occupations.

Op-EdsSandeep VaheesanDecember 6, 20182018, December 2018, Entrepreneurship, Sandeep Vaheesan, Labor