Shraddha Mandi
I am an Economics PhD candidate at Boston University and will be on the
2026–27 job market. My research lies at the intersection of
macroeconomics, international trade, and development and examines how
firms, markets, and policy shape economic outcomes. I combine structured
problem-solving and economic reasoning with quantitative modeling and
empirical analysis to frame open-ended questions, conduct focused,
data-driven analysis, and translate complex evidence into clear,
defensible judgments. I am interested in leveraging this experience to
generate context-specific insights that deepen understanding and
inform sound decision-making.
Fields
Macroeconomics, International Trade, and Development
Committee
David Lagakos, Natalia Ramondo, and Masao Fukui
Job Market Paper
Optimal Tariffs in a World Shaped by Multinational Production
Multinational firms account for approximately 60 percent of global
exports, yet little is known about their implications for optimal trade
policy. I study optimal import tariffs in a multisector trade model
with input-output linkages and multinational production. A two-country,
one-sector special case yields an analytical formula for how
multinational production affects optimal tariffs. Expanding
multinational activity, all else equal, gives firms more scope to shift
production in response to tariffs, lowering the optimal tariff. Yet,
holding observed trade flows and the cost sensitivity of
production-location choices fixed, accounting for multinational
production raises the optimal tariff. When firms concentrate
production in one location despite available alternatives, the model
infers a strong comparative advantage there. These inferred advantages
reduce the responsiveness of trade flows to tariffs, strengthening the
terms-of-trade motive for a higher tariff. Calibration to trade-flow
and multinational-production data suggests that accounting for
multinational production raises the optimal uniform U.S. tariff by
approximately 5 percentage points. Differentiating tariffs by
production origin and sector adds little welfare relative to a uniform
tariff.
Paper
Coming soon
Slides
Coming soon
Online Appendix
Coming soon
Research
Working Papers
The Dynamics of Agricultural Productivity Gaps
With Douglas Gollin, David Lagakos, and Xiao Ma. June 2026.
Conditionally Accepted at American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics
This paper draws on cross-country census data to study how
agricultural productivity gaps have evolved over the last four decades.
We find little tendency for gaps to decline on average despite global
decreases in agricultural employment shares. We analyze the dynamics
of agricultural productivity gaps through the lens of an open-economy
model of structural change. We calibrate the model using international
trade data, which are measured independently from sectoral value added
and employment data. Quantitatively, the model predicts that
relatively faster physical productivity growth in the non-agricultural
sector has, in many countries, offset the movement of labor out of
agriculture, leading to persistently lower value added per worker in
agriculture.
Work in Progress
Misclassification of Locations and the Measurement of Urban-Rural Gaps
With Douglas Gollin, Martina Kirchberger, and David Lagakos.
Choosing Replaceability: Firm Organization, Scale, and Worker Rents
The Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Son Preference: Evidence from India
Teaching
EC102 Introduction to Macroeconomics
Teaching Assistant, Boston University. Undergraduate course.
EC202 Intermediate Macroeconomics
Teaching Assistant, Boston University. Undergraduate course.
EC704 Macroeconomics
Teaching Assistant, Boston University. PhD course.