Welcome back to Fraser Insight, the Fraser Institute’s U.S. newsletter. With a number of fresh outputs from The Realities of Socialism project, our In Focus section is the highlight of this spring issue of Insight.

At the other end of the spectrum, our In Context shares alarming news about the recent arson attack targeting our friends at the Center of the American Experiment, a longtime member of the EFNA Network.

Finally, the In Print section, as always, features an interesting mix of essays covering everything from ESG to LNG.

We encourage you to share Insight with friends and colleagues by inviting them to sign up for Insight here. Visit our website, which serves as a storehouse for cogent commentary and in-depth analysis—all from a free-market perspective. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter). Join us on Facebook. And check out the In Touch section for more contact info.

The new socialist man was not the selfless creature of Marxist writing. He was a grifter who had no choice but to make his way by cheating the rest of society, just as the rest of society cheated him.

The ESG movement may be popular, but careful reading on the topic reveals that many points made in its favor are not supported by evidence. That may be one reason the ESG tide is retreating.

Marxist doctrine spreads because the “oppressed” gain instant status and power without the need for personal virtues or accomplishments. The idea holds appeal but only to our most selfish instincts.

There are two places in North America named Eagle Pass—one in British Columbia and one in Texas. Both are small and nondescript, yet both witnessed historic events where the life of a country stood in the balance.

The Biden administration recently paused the approval of permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, which will force U.S. allies to explore alternative sources of LNG, opening the door for Canada. If Canadian policymakers remove certain regulatory hurdles, they can position Canada as a leading global provider of clean and reliable natural gas.

There are obviously a number of key people responsible for the Economic Freedom of the World project, starting with Michael Walker and the Friedmans. But everyone linked with the project acknowledges Jim Gwartney’s key contributions in developing and then annually calculating the index. Thanks in large part to him, the index is taught in development-economics courses around the world and is used by governments to mark their progress toward freer and more prosperous societies.

This installment of the Realities of Socialism project documents the wide chasm between the lofty goals of socialist ideology and the realities experienced by the Polish people. The authors also show that while the transition back from a socialist to a mixed economy was not without pain, it did unleash the extraordinary productive power of the Polish people, allowing their standard of living to rise at more than twice the rate of growth that prevailed during the socialist era.

This package of products details what Sweden is—and more importantly what it is not—when it comes to its economic system and history. Despite the mischaracterizations of the country, after experimenting with socialist policies in the 1970s and 1980s (with disastrous results), Sweden actually has a long history of being a free, open and competitive economy.

One major objective of this study of survey data is to better understand perceptions of—and support for—capitalism and socialism, as well as how attitudes towards capitalism and socialism differ across age groups, particularly those of respondents under age 35 compared to older respondents. Support for capitalism among those aged 18 to 34 is at best tepid outside of the United States. The United States shows a net positive level of support for capitalism as the ideal economic system among those in this age group, with 52 percent in agreement versus 33 percent in disagreement.

This installment of the Realities of Socialism documents the stunning economic rise of tiny Singapore since gaining independence in 1965, and examines how it is able to provide many of the same social services that Western governments provide—health care, retirement, housing, education, unemployment—but with much smaller government and lower costs.

Dr. Peter Boettke, director of the F.A. Hayek Program at George Mason University and co-author of The Road to Socialism and Back, joins host Rosemarie Fike to discuss what life was like in Estonia under socialist rule.

The offices of the Center of the American Experiment, a Minnesota-based free market think tank and longtime member of Fraser’s EFNA Network, were recently targeted in an apparent arsonist attack. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, the attack did extensive damage to the center’s offices and the offices of other like-minded organizations, while leaving other businesses untouched, which suggests a political motivation for the attack.

“They targeted conservative organizations,” said John Hinderaker, president of Center of the American Experiment. “The FBI is taking this case very seriously,” he added. “The free flow of ideas does not work when one side resorts to violence.”

Alan Dowd, who serves as managing director of the EFNA Network, has kept in touch with staff at the Center of the American Experiment. “To their credit, they seem undeterred,” according to Dowd. “They are thankful no one was hurt. They hope those responsible for this crime will be brought to justice. And they say they are ‘staying strong.’”

More than two months after the attacks, the organization’s staffers remain unable to work in the office. But Hinderaker has emphasized, “This firebombing will not slow us down.”

“I don't mean to sound dramatic,” Dowd said in a message to the EFNA Network, “but I believe an attack against any of us who stand for individual liberty is an attack against us all.”

To find out more about the Center of the American Experiment, click this link. To learn more about the attack and the center’s response, click here.