Moisey Ostrogorsky was born to a Lithuanian Jewish family in 1854 in the Grodno province of the Russian Empire (now in the Belarus), where he grew up.

Whilst in France, Ostrogorski imbibed French political thought, which was distrustful of an all-powerful state, from thinkers such as Comte, Durkheim, Tocqueville, Saint Simon and Proudhon.

[5] He noted behavioural determinism in organisational structure: "As soon as a party, even if created for the noblest object perpetuates itself, it tends to degeneration", which influenced "the later researches of Max Weber, Robert Michels, and Andre Siegfried".

[6] Ostrogorski is also the author of a book that is about the equality of the sexes: La Femme au point de vue du droit public.

[8] Notable amongst its sponsors are The Guardian, a leftist charity which publishes a UK newspaper, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as various opaque organisations.