Eric Howard
Biography
Eric Howard is a lecturer at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and joined the Bryan School in 2020 after serving as an adjunct instructor for seven years at several colleges and universities in the Triad area. Prior to teaching he spent twelve years working at the SERVE Center at UNCG where he was involved in educational research and program evaluation. He received his Master of Arts in applied economics from UNCG, where he focused on the economics of education and completed a thesis examining the effects of private school competition on public school student outcomes in North Carolina. His current research explores the relationship between teacher effectiveness and student learning from a variety of perspectives (development of critical thinking skills, cognitive vs. non-cognitive ability, etc.) as well as an ongoing project exploring the implication of the thought of Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992) and Michael Polanyi (1891-1976) on the philosophy and methodology of economics and the social sciences generally.
Education
M.A., Applied Economics. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC. May 2002
B.S., Economics. Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR. June 1997
Minor: Philosophy
Recent Research & Publications
Howard, E. S. (forthcoming). “‘seeing in depths’”: Michael Polanyi on AI, the End of Theory and Tacit Knowledge. Cosmos + Taxis, [“Michael Polanyi and the Liberal Tradition” special issue; Guest editor, Tegan Truitt; https://cosmosandtaxis.org/submissions/call-for-papers/]
Fletcher, J. C. R., Howard, E. S., Link, A. N., & O’Connor, A. C. (2023). Knowledge-based information and the effectiveness of R&D in small firms. Small Business Economics, 60(3), 891–900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-022-00630-9 [Originally published online April 27, 2022]
Howard, E. S. (2022). Polanyi and Rawls on higher autonomy as the basis for a stable liberal society. Quaestiones DIsputatae, 11(1), 97–114. http://146.190.237.151/; https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/669 [Special issue “Michael Polanyi’s Social and Political Philosophy and the Future of Liberalism,” Charles Lowney guest editor]
Howard, E. S., & Sarbaum, J. K. (2022). Addressing study skills, learning theory and critical thinking skills in principles of economics courses. Frontiers in Education, 7, 770464. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.770464
Howard, E. S., & Link, A. N. (2019). An oasis of knowledge: The early history of Gateway University Research Park. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 10(3), 1037–1063. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-017-0513-x [Originally published online Nov. 30, 2017]