Anna Porter, Buying a Better World: George Soros and Billionaire Philanthropy

Excerpt

George Soros is a phenomenon as well as a currency speculator, philanthropist, public intellectual and celebrity political figure. The activities of other liberal billionaire philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, among others, have created the concept of philanthropic capitalism. And certainly conservative billionaires such as the American Koch brothers and Rupert Murdoch have gained enormous visibility as ideologically motivated individuals who shape politics and the public sphere with their money. While all of these billionaires are arguably quite different from earlier generations of philanthropists such as the Fords, the Carnegies and the Rockefellers, Soros stands out even among this elite group because of the scale of his giving, his active involvement in his projects, the global reach of his foundations and the idiosyncrasy of his ideology. …