Publications
American capitalism used to mean economic equality and security. When I mention this in speeches or talks today, this observation prompts laughter, or outright disbelief. But it’s true. Americans used to believe economic equality was foundational to our political system. That America—at least for those considered citizens—carried with it an implicit promise of rough commercial equality. How did this notion change so radically?
Read MoreWhile the world has failed to make significant progress in combating climate change over the past decade, the prospect for real action looks very promising today. Proponents of a Green New Deal aim not to nudge the current energy economy toward carbon neutrality but to restructure the production, distribution, and use of energy. Even as it represents a break from the impoverished political imagination of the (still ongoing) neoliberal era, the Green New Deal draws on a rich legal and historical template for transforming our energy economy and deepen democracy.
Read MoreIn 2011, the Federal Trade Commission settled charges with Facebook that the social networking giant “deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public”. Today, the company is again in hot water for, among other things, misusing private user data, failing to stop the spread of fake news and enabling the distribution of toxic and violent multimedia.
Read MoreFacebook didn't get where it is today by protecting your privacy. The company made $56 billion in 2018, in part by tracking people both on and off its platform and then selling targeted advertisements based on that surveillance. Yet when Facebook announced a shift to a "privacy-focused communications platform" in March and unveiled a redesign toward private messaging at its F8 developers conference on Tuesday, Facebook's stock value did not even dip. How could that be, if surveillance is essential to Facebook's business model?
Read MoreOpen Markets fellow Matthew Stoller and Deputy Director Sarah Miller published an op-ed on BuzzFeed News explaining that while corporate megamergers often result in thousands of job cuts, corporate executives, on the other hand, are rewarded with sweet multi-million dollar golden parachutes to sell their companies in what amounts to a form of "normalized corruption," which they call on Congress to eliminate.
Read MoreThe “consumer welfare” approach to antimonopoly is the main contributor to the extreme and dangerous concentrations of power that Americans face today. In place of this vague, subjective, easily manipulated, and fundamentally corrupt framework, we propose a system of simple rules that is true to the original American approach to building and protecting an open and democratic society.
Read MoreOpen 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.”
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreAmid 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.
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreAmazon 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.
Read MoreAmid 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.
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreOpen 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.
Read MoreThe Democratic Party’s loyalty to plutocrats led to political disaster. But many of its leaders won’t change their ways.
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