Frequently Asked Questions

     What is "open society"?

     The concept of open society is based on the recognition that people act on imperfect knowledge and nobody is in possession of the ultimate truth. Open societies are characterized by a reliance on the rule of law, the existence of a democratically elected government, a diverse and vigorous civil society, respect for minorities and minority opinions, and free market economy. A closed society expends most of its energies in preserving the existing order, whereas an open society takes law and respect for rights of others as its starting point and creates progress and prosperity from that base.
     The term "open society" was popularized by the philosopher Karl Popper in his 1945 book Open Society and Its Enemies. Popper's work deeply influenced George Soros, and it is upon the concept of an open society that Mr. Soros bases his philanthropic activity.

     What is the Soros foundations network?

     The numerous nonprofit foundations created by the philanthropist George Soros are linked together in an informal network known as the Soros foundations network. At the heart of this network are the "national foundations," a group of autonomous organizations operating in over 30 countries around the world, principally in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and Southern Africa. All of the national foundations share the common mission of supporting the development of open society. To this end, they operate and support an array of initiatives concerned with arts and culture, children and youth, civil society development, economic reform, education at all levels, legal reform and public administration, media and communications, publishing, and health care. The Open Society Institute (OSI) and the Open Society Institute-Budapest (OSI-Budapest) assist the national foundations by providing administrative, financial, and technical support, as well as by establishing "network programs" to address certain issues on a regional or network-wide basis.

     What is Open Society Institute?

     The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that seeks to promote the development and maintenance of open societies around the world by supporting a range of programs in the areas of educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and often controversial issues.
     Established in 1993 and based in New York City, the Open Society Institute is part of the Soros foundations network, an informal network of organizations created by George Soros that operate in over 30 countries around the world, principally in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, Southern Africa, and the United States.
     Together with its Hungary-based affiliate, the Open Society Institute-Budapest, OSI assists these organizations by providing administrative, financial, and technical support, and by establishing "network programs" that address certain issues on a regional or network-wide basis.

     Who is George Soros?

     George Soros was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1930. In 1947 he emigrated to England, where he graduated from the London School of Economics. While a student at the London School of Economics, Mr. Soros became familiar with the work of the philosopher Karl Popper, who had a profound influence on his thinking and later on his philanthropic activities. In 1956 he moved to the United States, where he began to accumulate a large fortune through an international investment fund he founded and managed.
     Mr. Soros established his first foundation, the Open Society Fund, in New York in 1979 and his first Eastern European foundation in Hungary in 1984. He now funds a network of foundations operating in over 30 countries around the world, principally in Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, Southern Africa, and the United States. These foundations are dedicated to building and maintaining the infrastructure and institutions of an open society. Soros has also founded other major institutions, such as the Central European University and the International Science Foundation. In 1994, the foundations in the network spent a total of approximately $300 million; in 1995, $350 million; in 1996, $362 million; and in 1997, $428. Giving for 1998 is expected to be maintained at a similar level.
     In addition to many articles on the political and economic changes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Mr. Soros is the author of The Alchemy of Finance, published by Simon & Schuster in 1987 and republished in 1994 by John Wiley & Sons; Opening the Soviet System, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in 1990; Underwriting Democracy, published by The Free Press in 1991; and Soros on Soros: Staying Ahead of the Curve, published by John Wiley & Sons in September 1995. Mr. Soros's most recent book, The Crisis of Global Capitalism, was published in November 1998 by PublicAffairs.
     Mr. Soros has received honorary doctoral degrees from the New School for Social Research, the University of Oxford, the Budapest University of Economics, and Yale University. In 1995, the University of Bologna awarded Mr. Soros its highest honor, the Laurea Honoris Causa, in recognition of his efforts to promote open societies throughout the world.
     Mr. Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management LCC, a private investment management firm that serves as principal investment advisor to the Quantum Group of Funds. The Quantum Fund N.V., the oldest and largest fund within the Quantum Group, is generally recognized as having the best performance record of any investment fund in the world in its 28-year history.

     Who is Aryeh Neier?

     Aryeh Neier is President of the Open Society Institute. Prior to joining the Open Society Institute in 1993, Aryeh Neier served for 12 years as Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. Before that, he spent 15 years at the American Civil Liberties Union, including eight years as national director. Mr. Neier has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University for more than a dozen years. Mr. Neier is a frequent contributor to the Nation and the New York Review of Books, and has published in periodicals such as the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, and Foreign Policy. He has contributed to more than a hundred op-ed articles in newspapers, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the International Herald Tribune. Author of five books, including his most recently published work, War Crimes: Brutality, Genocide, Terror, and the Struggle for Justice (New York: Times Books, 1998), Mr. Neier has also contributed chapters to more than 20 books. He has lectured at many of the country's leading universities, and has appeared frequently on such television shows as Nightline, the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and the Today Show. He is the recipient of three honorary degrees and the American Bar Association's Gavel Award.

     Who is Karl Popper?

     Sir Karl Popper, for whom the Karl Popper Debate Program is named, is well known for his important contributions to the philosophy of science, political theory, and sociology. With his 1945 book The Open Society and Its Enemies, Popper is responsible for popularizing the notion of "open society" a concept which would come to have a significant influence on the philosophy that underpins George Soros' philanthropic activities. Simply stated, an open society is a form of social organization based on the recognition that nobody has a monopoly on the truth, that different people have different views and interests, and that there is a need for institutions to protect the rights of all people to allow them to live together in peace. As becomes apparent from this definition, debate is an integral component of an open society.      Born in Vienna in 1902, Popper was educated at the University of Vienna where he earned a Ph.D. in 1928. In the late 1930s, Popper left Vienna to teach at the University of New Zealand at Christchurch. In 1946 he was invited to teach at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he became Professor of Logic and Scientific Method. He was knighted in 1972, and became a Companion of Honour in 1982. Popper was a fellow of the Royal Society and a fellow of the British Academy, of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of other national and international academies.      It was while pursuing a Masters degree at LSE that George Soros first came into close contact with Popper and his ideas. While he did not study directly under the philosopher, Soros submitted several essays to Popper for his consideration and review. In 1962, well after he had finished his studies, Soros wrote a philosophical treatise entitled, "The Burden of Consciousness." Soros sent this work to Popper, who was extremely supportive and encouraging of Soros' ideas. Their association continued, growing closer over the years. In June 1994, Popper delivered a lecture at the Central European University in Prague, which Soros had established as an intellectual center to promote the ideals of open society in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.      In addition to The Open Society and Its Enemies, Popper's major published works include The Logic of Scientific Discovery, The Poverty of Historicism, Conjectures and Refutations, Objective Knowledge, Realism and the Aim of Science, and The Open Universe. Karl Popper died in September 1994.

     What are the programs of the Open Society Institute?

     The programs of the Open Society Institute - fall into three broad categories: programs that focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; programs that focus on the United States; and programs that focus on other parts of the world. Within the Soros foundations network, many of the programs that focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are known as "network programs." Network programs are initiated by the Open Society Institute-New York, the Open Society Institute -Budapest, or one of the foundations to address vital issues common to two or more foundations in the network.
     Network programs based in New York include the Arts and Culture Program, the East East Program, Children and Youth Programs, the English Language Programs, the Internet Program, and the Medical and Health Programs and the Women's Program. Network programs based in Budapest include the Constitutional and Legislative Policy Institute, the Institute for Educational Policy, the Higher Education Support Program, the Library Program, the Media Program, the Open Society Archives, the Publishing Center, and the Scholarship Programs.
     U.S.-based programs with an international focus include the Burma Project, the Central Eurasia Project, the Forced Migration Projects, the Landmines Project, and the Soros Documentary Fund. Programs which focus on the United States include: the Center on Crime, Communities & Culture; the Emma Lazarus Fund, which assists legal immigrants; the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy research center; the Project on Death in America; the Open Society Fellowships Program; and programs focusing in the areas of campaign finance reform, educational reform, reproductive rights, teenage pregnancy, youth development, and ethics in the professions of law, medicine, and journalism.

     What is OSI-New York?

     The Open Society Institute - New York is a private operating and grant making foundation that seeks to promote the development of open society around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and often controversial issues. Created and funded by George Soros, the Open Society Institute - New York is part of the Soros foundations network, which consists of autonomous nonprofit organizations operating in 31 countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe, Central Eurasia, South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, and the United States. Together with its Hungary-based sister organization, the Open Society Institute - Budapest, the Open Society Institute-New York assists these foundations and organizations by creating network programs on common issues and by providing administrative, financial, and technical support.

     Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation

     OSI - Assistance Foundation, like all the entities in the Soros Foundations Network, follows the goal of establishing an open society in countries where previously existed a closed society. This is achieved through awarding financial and technical support to those organizations and institutions, which also promote the development of an open, democratic society in Azerbaijan.

     What is the Open Society Institute-Budapest?

     The Open Society Institute-Budapest was established in 1993 to develop and implement programs in the areas of educational, social, and legal reform. The Open Society Institute-Budapest is part of the Soros foundations network, a group of autonomous organizations operating in over 30 countries around the world, principally in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union but also in Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, Southern Africa, and the United States. Together with its sister organization, the New York-based Open Society Institute, OSI-Budapest assists these organizations by providing administrative, financial, and technical support, and by establishing "network programs" to address certain issues on a regional or network-wide basis.
     Network programs based in Budapest include the Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute, which supports the legal reform efforts of the national foundations and their affiliated law centers; the East East Program, which was developed to provide a network for the sharing of experience and information among formerly communist countries; the Institute for Educational Policy, which helps the Soros foundations network to maximize the impact of its programs in primary and secondary education; the Higher Education Support Program, which promotes the advancement of higher education throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; the International Fellowship Program, which supports research, writing, and activism and encourages the development of program strategies for the Soros foundations network in a variety of areas; the Library Program, which increases the access to information through training for librarians and support for individual library projects; the Local Government & Public Service Reform Initiative, which promotes democratic and effective government at sub-national levels; the Media Program, which acts as a consultant to the Soros foundations network and to other organizations working on media-related projects; the Publishing Center, which supports both the publication of books which promote the values of open society and the development of the publishing industry in the region as a whole; and the Roma Participation Program, which seeks to enable Roma to become active participants in the democratic process and the societies in which they live.
     In addition, OSI-Budapest supports a variety of other initiatives throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with a strong emphasis on projects in the areas of human rights, ethnic and minority issues, civil society, and women's issues. The Open Society Institute-Budapest is located in the Central European University complex in downtown Budapest, and their programs draw upon the university's resources. The Open Society Institute-Budapest is distinct from the Soros Foundation-Hungary, which funds activities exclusively within Hungary.