Interesting, thank you. I wonder what is causing that decline? A more libertarian type might say that the increasing power of government is driving small busin

Interesting, thank you. I wonder what is causing that decline? A more libertarian type might say that the increasing power of government is driving small business out through various types of intervention. Evidence would include the ever-increasing share of GDP made up by government spending. This would be countered by the fact that you can still start most kinds of businesses with remarkably little federal involvement aside from taxation. Someone more inclined toward central planning might say that the information age is making central planning more effective. Evidence would include companies like amazon that have amazing reach. That would be countered by the observation that there are still a lot of small businesses that sell through amazon and set their own prices; and amazon has many robust competitors for each product they sell.