James Q. Wilson, 1931-2012

 

James Q. Wilson, the great social scientist, essayist, and teacher, was among America's foremost public intellectuals of the past half century. A great many of his most important essays were published in The Public Interest, through that magazine's entire forty-year run. Wilson also served on the publication committee of National Affairs, and his essay "The Future of Blame" was published in our Winter 2010 issue. We were privileged to know him, and to benefit from his great wisdom and good sense.

Below are all of Wilson's many contributions to The Public Interest and his essay from the second issue of National Affairs:

In National Affairs

The Future of Blame
Number 2 ~ Winter 2010

In The Public Interest

Character and culture
Number 159 ~ Spring 2005

Defining the “peace party”
Number 153 ~ Fall 2003

Gentleman, politician, scholar
Number 152 ~ Summer 2003

The independent mind of Edward Banfield
Number 150 ~ Winter 2003

Liberalism and diversity
Number 148 ~ Summer 2002

Slavery and the black family
Number 147 ~ Spring 2002

Two cheers for capitalism
Number 139 ~ Spring 2000

Cultural meltdown
Number 137 ~ Fall 1999

Thinking about parent and child
Number 135 ~ Spring 1999

Human remedies for social disorders
Number 131 ~ Spring 1998

Criminal justice in England and America
Number 126 ~ Winter 1997

Capitalism and morality
Number 121 ~ Fall 1995

Commentaries
Number 117 ~ Fall 1994

On Gender
Number 112 ~ Summer 1993

Redefining equality: The liberalism of Mickey Kaus
Number 109 ~ Fall 1992

Edward Banfield, American Skeptic
Number 107 ~ Spring 1992

Some Elites are More Equal than Others
Number 91 ~ Spring 1988

Does the separation of powers still work?
Number 86 ~ Winter 1987

The rediscovery of character: private virtue and public policy
Number 81~ Fall 1985

Unemployment and crime— what is the connection?
Number 79 ~ Spring 1985

Dealing with the high-rate offender
Number 72 ~ Summer 1983

Crime and American culture
Number 70 ~ Winter 1983

“Policy intellectuals” and public policy
Number 64 ~ Summer 1981

“What works?” revisited: new findings on criminal rehabilitation
Number 61 ~ Fall 1980

The changing FBI - The road to Abscam
Number 59 ~ Spring 1980

Age, crime, and punishment
Number 51 ~ Spring 1978

Can the government regulate itself?
Number 46 ~ Winter 1977

Crime and punishment in England
Number 43 ~ Spring 1976

The rise of the bureaucratic state
Number 41 ~ Fall 1975

The Riddle of the Middle Class
Number 39 ~ Spring 1975

On Pettigrew and Armor: an Afterword
Number 30 ~ Winter 1973

The problem of heroin
Number 29 ~ Fall 1972

The dead hand of regulation
Number 25 ~ Fall 1971

Violence, pornography, and social science
Number 22 ~ Winter 1971

The mayors VS. the cities
Number 16 ~ Summer 1969

The urban unease: community VS. city
Number 12 ~ Summer 1968

The Crime Commission reports
Number 9 ~ Fall 1967

The Bureaucracy Problem
Number 6 ~ Winter 1967

Crime in the streets
Number 5 ~ Fall 1966

The war on cities
Number 3 ~ Spring 1966

Corruption: the shame of the states
Number 2 ~ Winter 1966