John Bethune

Professor of Economics and the Director of the BB&T Center for Free Enterprise Education at Barton College

Bethune holds the Dorothy and K. D. Kennedy Chair in Business and is Director of the BB&T Center for Free Enterprise Education. He is also a Policy Advisor to The Heartland Institute.

Prior to accepting his position at Barton, Dr. Bethune held the Tom E. Hendrix Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise at the University of Tennessee – Martin. Previous to that he was a Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Bethune has received several teaching and research awards and has published in numerous journals, including Studies in Economic Analysis, The Journal of Economic Education, The Southern Economic Journal, The Long Term View, and The American Economist. He is the author of the biannual The Wilson County Economy: Review and Outlook, serves as a Salvatori Fellow with the Heritage Foundation and is a Policy Advisor for the Heartland Institute. His current research interests are in the areas of public policy and economics education.

Dr. Bethune received his B. A. from Campbell College, an M. A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his Ph. D. in economics from Florida State University. He is currently President of the Wilson Tennis Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Tennis Association – North Carolina District.

John Bethune Contributions

March 22, 2013
  • Taxes
  • Government & Liberty
  • Economy
  • Government Spending
  • Technology

What's New


Heartland Newsletters

The Heartland Institute offers free email subscriptions to all of its newsletters and monthly public policy newspapers.