Staff Biographies
Eric Helland 
Associate Director for ResearchSanta Monica Office |
EducationPh.D., Economics, Washington University St. Louis |
Fieldslaw and economics; economics of regulation; crime |
Policy Areasmedical malpractice; securities litigation; class actions |
Biography Summary
Eric Helland is a Senior Economist at RAND's Institute for Civil Justice, an associate professor of economics at Claremont McKenna College, and a member of the plenary faculty at the Claremont Graduate School. Eric's research focuses on law and economics and regulation.
His current research focuses on expert witness testimony, securities litigation, auto safety and medical malpractice. He is currently working on a studies on the impact of judicial pay on judicial quality and the impact of the Class Action Fairness Act. His recent writings include "No-Fault Insurance and Automobile Accidents," with Paul Heaton which examines the impact of no-fault auto insurance on traffic safety; "The Tradeoffs between Regulation and Class Actions: Evidence from Insurance Litigation," with Jon Klick, in the Journal of Tort Law, which examines the tradeoffs between insurance regulations and class action litigation; "Does Three Strikes Deter? A Non-Parametric Estimation," with Alex Tabarrok, in the Journal of Human Resources, examining the impact of sentencing enhancements on the likelihood of recidivism; and "Court Congestion as an Explanation for Rising Attorney Fees," with Jonathan Klick, in the Journal of Legal Studies.
Before joining RAND in 2004 he was a visiting fellow at the Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. In 2003-04 he served as a Senior Economist on the Council of Economic Advisers. He is also an associate editor of the Journal of Regulatory Economics.
Top