Tarikua Erda

 tarikua.erda@columbia.edu |  @tarikuaerda

I am a PhD candidate in Sustainable Development at Columbia University. I completed my B.A. in economics with honors from Princeton University.

My research examines the impact of disasters on firm and labor dynamics and the role of federal spending in recovery. I also use experimental tools to study hiring and labor markets.

Fields and interests: labor, environmental economics, entrepreneurship and innovation

I am on the 2024-2025 job market. Download CV.

Research

Job Market Paper

  • Disasters, Capital, and Productivity

    Tarikua Erda (2024)

    Abstract: The fixed nature of physical capital could delay adjustment to rapidly occurring climate shocks. Prior theoretical work predicts this would amplify economic damages from climate change as global warming intensifies disaster risk. Using rich confidential microdata from the US Census Bureau, I establish novel causal evidence on how manufacturing firms readjust their capital, particularly their machinery, in response to large, federally declared floods. While floods degrade capital, surviving plants replace capital and see higher productivity because they upgrade technology as they rebuild. I document substantial reallocation of second-hand capital across plants following floods, notably from low-productivity exiters toward well-performing young plants. Ultimately, capital adjusts relatively quickly, and is reallocated toward better use following flooding, boosting aggregate productivity. These outcomes stem from the expanded credit access that federal disaster spending creates. My findings reveal a new channel through which government disaster spending revives disaster-hit economies and underscore its crucial importance in a warming world.

    Supported by Equitable Growth Doctoral Research Grant
    Invited to APPAM (2024), NBER Productivity Seminar (2024)


Working Papers

  • Spillovers that Pay Dividends: The Indirect Impact of Federal Disaster Loans on Firm Entry

    Tarikua Erda (2024)

    Disasters increase affected firms’ credit demand. I examine bank lending, firm entry, and recovery following rare flood shocks. After flooding, banks reallocate loan supply toward established incumbents, away from new firms. This reduces region-wide firm entry, entrant job creation, and wages, highlighting young firms’ disproportionate contribution to growth. Low-interest federal loans to disaster-hit incumbents indirectly offset entrants’ credit constraints. This increases firm entry without hurting firm performance, and sustains wages. Consequently, tax revenues compensate for upfront federal spending on business recovery loans. Positive spillovers onto firm entry demonstrate a novel, substantial channel through which government spending supports post-disaster recovery.

    Supported by Equitable Growth Doctoral Research Grant


  • What's in a Mane?: Appearance Norms and Racialized Hair Bias

    Tarikua Erda, Jeffrey Shrader (2024)

    Hair texture is a phenotypical feature, yet Western norms favor straight hair over the kinky natural textures of Black populations. We conduct experiments in which university students and US adults rate the professionalism, competence, and agreeableness of headshots of hypothetical candidates for STEM professor jobs, with incentive-compatible rewards for truthful revelation. Relative to straightened hair (for women) and clean-cut hair (for men), kinky hair carries large penalties for Black individuals. These penalties are most pronounced for the professionalism and competence ratings of Black women and agreeableness of Black men. Racialized hair penalties also surpass penalties for objective photo elements like poor resolution or not smiling, implying that in mixed-race workplaces, Black individuals face penalties for not tightly adhering to Euro-centric hairstyle norms.

    Supported by ISERP Seed Grant, CELSS Seed Grant


Work in Progress

  • The On-campus Recruiting Labor Market (with Laura Caron)

    (In field)
    • Supported by NSF Dissertation Grant in Economics (SES2215219), RSF Dissertation Grant

Teaching

I am passionate about teaching. During my PhD, I have served as a teaching assistant for the following courses.

  • Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023: Disasters and Development (John Mutter, Sonali Deraniyagala) (Undergraduate + Masters)
  • Spring 2021, Spring 2022: Challenges of Sustainable Development (Lisa Dale) (Undergraduate)

Selected student feedback:

  • "Tarikua was easily the best TA I've ever had. She was always patient and understanding with me... She took this role very seriously, and because of her dedication, I was able to do pretty well in the class even through an extremely turbulent semester."
  • "She is not going to give you direct answers, but rather guides you towards discovering the solution on your own, which is always appreciated."
  • "Tarikua is very knowledgeable about the subject and was always available during the entire semester to help us. She always responded to emails promptly, and has a deep understanding about many topics beyond the ones presented in class. She always had insightful contributions during lecture that encouraged me to research subjects beyond the scope of the class."
More student comments...
  • "Tarikua was the best TA that I've ever had in my three years at Columbia. She was always willing to help whenever needed, and she was just such a nice person in general. She really understands what life is like as a student, and she has been very helpful in helping me whenever I had issues in the course."
  • "Tarikua is great! I thought she was an unfair grader at the beginning, but she is really helpful in office hours"
  • "Excellent in communicating and responding to any questions"

Wondering how to pronounce my name? It is 'Taa-ree-kwa'. I am always happy to clarify, so please feel free to ask :)