The James Q. Wilson Collection at the RAND Library

p201301_01, policy forum, event, richard fallon

The James Q. Wilson Papers include his speeches, research, correspondence, and writings documenting his personal life and professional career.

James Q. Wilson, the late political scientist known as the co-creator of the "broken windows" criminology theory, bequeathed to the Pardee RAND Graduate School in October 2012 an archive of all of his papers, books, articles and commentaries, in addition to those of his doctoral students; the Collection was dedicated in January 2013.

A mixture of professional and scholarly items that include correspondence with other scholars and public officials, the papers are part of the James Q. Wilson Collection at the headquarters campus of the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif., and are available for the use of scholars and researchers.

The James Q. Wilson Collection and the James Q. Wilson dissertation fellowship, which will both be supported by a $1.1 million endowment, were created at the Pardee RAND Graduate School by donors and supporters to recognize the life and legacy of Wilson.

In the end, though, it's important to remember that Jim’s contributions to the field of public policy — and to RAND — go beyond words. An online photo album highlights the Policy Forum and events around the dedication of the James Q. Wilson Collection. You may also view the following photo montage that commemorates Jim.

Jim in SCUBA gear

A photo of Jim in SCUBA gear is just one feature of the Collection.

How to Use the Collection

The Collection includes nearly 1,400 books from his personal collection and an archival collection of approximately 20 linear feet of papers that RAND Knowledge Services has cataloged for the benefit of the research community. A finding aid is available as a free, downloadable PDF to help researchers explore the collection.

Request Access to the Collection