The American Antitrust Institute: Introduction to a Virtual Public Interest Network

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1998 to be a counterweight to conservative think tanks that often oppose antitrust or try to limit its relevance. The AAI embodies the belief that decision-makers can better function in an objective, professional manner if they hear expertly-crafted arguments from independent supporters, as well as opponents, of enforcement actions and policies, and if they know that there is a public interest watchdog looking over their shoulders.

Given an initial budget of zero, the question was how to ramp up the AAI into a going concern. The AAI can be seen as the offspring of the new economy models of business development, e.g., Internet-based communications and globally dispersed "production" nodes.