Michael Heller

Michael A. Heller is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of Real Estate Law at Columbia Law School, where he also serves as vice dean for curriculum. Heller is recognized for his scholarship in property law and private law theory, with research and teaching that address topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship, corporate governance, biomedical research policy, real estate development, African-American and Native American land ownership, and post-socialist economic transition. Prior to joining Columbia Law School, Heller taught at University of Michigan Law School, where he received the L. Hart Wright Award for excellence in teaching.

Heller's influential Harvard Law Review article, "The Tragedy of the Anticommons: Property in the Transition from Marx to Markets," introduced the concept that excessive subdivision of property rights can lead to underutilization of resources due to veto power among multiple owners. This work, which used Moscow's retail stalls as a case study, has been widely cited and has informed research across fields such as drug patenting, telecom licensing, climate change, compulsory land purchase, oil field unitization, music and art copyright, and economic transition.

Heller expanded on this theory in the book "The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives," which examines the consequences of fragmented property rights in markets and innovation. He also delivered the 41st Annual Chorley Lecture at the London School of Economics. Heller's edited collection, "Commons and Anticommons," compiles key articles on property theory, exploring how commons and anticommons metaphors inform debates on patent thickets, broadcast spectrum licensing, and other issues at the intersection of law and innovation.

In collaboration with James Salzman, Heller co-authored "Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives," which explores the rules and narratives that shape ownership in everyday life, with implications for digital privacy, climate change, and wealth inequality. Heller has also worked with Hanoch Dagan on "The Choice Theory of Contracts," addressing the meaning of freedom in contract law. Through his scholarship, public lectures, and books, Heller has contributed to the understanding of the legal and economic dimensions of ownership and property rights.