The steady and persistent rise in the general level of prices,
resulting in a reduction in the purchasing power of money
Measured using the
Consumer Price Index
Limitations
Based on average pattern of spending
Weights used apply in base year only
Changes in quality of goods not measured
New products on market not included
Switch to new brands not measured
Uses of Consumer Price Index
Measure inflation
Wage negotiations
Widen tax bands
Indexation of Investments
Measure of International Competitiveness
Causes of Inflation
Demand- Pull Inflation
Occurs when price levels
rise because of an
imbalance in the aggregate
supply and demand. When
the aggregate demand in an
economy strongly outweighs
the aggregate supply, prices
increase.
Cost-Push Inflation
Occurs when we
experience rising prices due
to higher costs of
production and higher costs
of raw materials
Economic Effects of Inflation
Production/Consumption
Encouraged
People on Fixed
Incomes Lose Out
Speculation Encouraged
Loss of International
Competitiveness
Benefits to Government
Costs of Inflation
Psychological Costs
People feel they are worse off, even if their
income rises beyond the rate of real inflation
Re-distributional Costs
Inflation can redistribute incomes and wealth
between firms, households and the state
Unemployment and Growth
Increases the costs of production of firms
Inflation creates uncertainty around job safety
and makes obtaining a new job much harder