Helland holds a B.A. (1991) from the University of Missouri and an M.A (1992) and Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis (1995). Helland is a member of the Board of Directors of the UCLA Center for Governance. He is the recipient of the Robert H. Durr Award from the Midwest Political Science Association and the Dean's Teaching Award from Ball State University. He has been Senior Economist at the Council of Economic Advisors and Visiting Professor of Economics at the Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State at the University of Chicago. From 2003 to 2004 he worked as the Senior Staff Economist on the Council of Economic Advisers.
Helland, Eric; Raviv, Yaron (2008). "The optimal jury size when jury deliberation follows a random walk". Public Choice. 134 (3–4): 255–262. doi:10.1007/s11127-007-9222-5. S2CID18075448.
Helland, Eric; Klick, Jonathan (2007). "The Tradeoffs between Regulation and Litigation: Evidence from Insurance Class Actions". Journal of Tort Law. 1 (3). doi:10.2202/1932-9148.1050. S2CID2095677.
"Court Congestion as an Explanation for Rising Attorney Fees" (with Jonathan Klick, Journal of Legal Studies 36(1):1-17, 2007)
Helland, Eric (2006). "Reputational Penalties and the Merits of Class-Action Securities Litigation". The Journal of Law and Economics. 49 (2): 365–395. doi:10.1086/505371. S2CID154472632.
Helland, Eric; Tabarrok, Alexander (2004). "The Fugitive: Evidence on Public versus Private Law Enforcement from Bail Jumping". The Journal of Law and Economics. 47: 93–122. doi:10.1086/378694. S2CID10321131.
Helland, Eric; Sykuta, Michael (2004). "Regulation and the Evolution of Corporate Boards: Monitoring, Advising, or Window Dressing?". The Journal of Law and Economics. 47: 167–193. doi:10.1086/380473. hdl:10355/8921. S2CID222327147.