{"id":58675,"date":"2020-04-15T14:40:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T09:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=58675"},"modified":"2021-12-07T16:58:56","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T11:28:56","slug":"eco-102-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/eco-102-inflation\/","title":{"rendered":"[Eco-102] Inflation &#8211; Concepts-Related Terms-Deflation-Stagflation-Trends-Inflation Targeting and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Howdy,<\/p>\n<p>As you know Economy as a subject has always been a traditional bottleneck for Civil Services aspirants. This is because most of us did not study it during our school days.<\/p>\n<p>So in this <em>series of articles<\/em>, we will be taking up the numerous economic jargon, one by one and try to simplify them for you.<\/p>\n<p>We aim to do the above by explaining various economic terms in a simple and a lucid manner. This will be especially beneficial for the students who are going to give their first attempt.<\/p>\n<p>In this article we&#8217;ll discuss the concepts related to <strong>Inflation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is going to be a three part series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In Part 1 (which is this one) we&#8217;ll learn about inflation, its types and related concepts.<br \/>\nIn Part 2 we will learn about the various indexes related to inflation &#8211; CPI, WPI etc.<br \/>\nIn Part 3 we learn about steps to control Inflation.<\/p>\n<h5><b>Inflation &#8211; Concepts, Definition and trends<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article we are going to understand everything about Inflation. So let us begin with what do you mean by Inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation refers to a sustained\/continuous rise in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here we must understand that inflation is rise in prices of basket of goods and services. If the price of only one good has gone up (for example, only there is price rise for 1 product), it does not constitute inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let us try to understand Inflation in terms of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply and General Price level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Aggregate Demand<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; It is the total demand of all products (goods and services) in an economy. It consists of four components of demands<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumption (C)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Investment (I)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government Spending (G)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net Exports (i.e. Export-Import) (X-M)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, Aggregate Demand = C + I + G + (X-M)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aggregate Demand Curve represents the total demand in an economy at different price levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58749\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58749\" style=\"width: 555px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-58749 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Untitled-design.png?resize=555%2C465&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Forumias aggregate demand\" width=\"555\" height=\"465\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58749\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Above figure shows the Aggregate Demand at different price levels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Learning &#8211; Let us know in the comment section why Aggregate demand Curve always slopes downward)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now when does aggregate demand curve shift? Which factors are responsible for it? Any change in the four components (mentioned above) will cause a change in the aggregate demand curve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211; Government increases its expenditure (eg &#8211; increase in wages of MGNREGA or increase in amount of financial support given by government through PM KISAN), it will increase aggregate demand and aggregate demand curve will shift right. Similarly, Rise in net exports will increase the aggregate demand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aggregate Supply<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Aggregate supply is the total output of goods and services that firms want to produce at each possible price level.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58750\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58750\" style=\"width: 538px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-58750 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Untitled-design-1.png?resize=538%2C451&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Forumias aggregate supply\" width=\"538\" height=\"451\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58750\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Above diagram represents Aggregate Supply at various price levels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Equilibrium<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; As per the British Economist, John Maynard Keynes,when economy is functioning at full employment, aggregate supply will match aggregate demand. At this Equilibrium we will have general price level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now consider, due to any reason, aggregate demand rises at this equilibrium level, it will lead to inflation. It is because since economy is at full employment, so it is producing at its full capacity. It cannot produce any further. Thus any increase in aggregate demand will result in increase in price levels, i.e. Inflation. This type of inflation is known as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demand Pull Inflation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, if due to any reason, aggregate supply in economy (at equilibrium) declines, it will also lead to Inflation. This type of Inflation is known as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cost Push Inflation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Types of Inflation<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are various drivers of inflation. Among them <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> major drivers are listed below<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aggregate demand for goods and services is rising and it exceeds aggregate supply at full employment level. It is generally referred to as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demand Pull Inflation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aggregate Supply of goods and services decreases (due to rise in cost of production) while aggregate demand remains constant at full employment level<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structural Inflation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let&#8217;s see them now one by one:<\/p>\n<h6>1. Demand-Pull Inflation<\/h6>\n<table style=\"height: 2905px;\" width=\"596\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Definition<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When price rise because aggregate demand in an economy is greater than the aggregate supply (at full employment level) of goods and services. This rise in demand is such that it cannot be met by currently available supply of output. Demand for goods and services exceeds available supply<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus there is a situation where too much money chasing few goods and services<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aggregate Demand &gt; Aggregate Supply. Also, since economy is at its full-employment potential, this rise in demand cannot be met by increasing supply. Thus this rise in demand will lead to a rise in price levels resulting in Demand-Pull Inflation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Causes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that the formula of Aggregate Demand which we earlier discussed is\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AD = C +I +G + (X-M).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So increase in aggregate demand can be due to various factors<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in Government expenditure.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in MGNREGA wages<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in financial support given under PM-KISAN<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government provides Universal Basic Income (UBI)etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steep rise in net exports<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suppose farmers in India are exporting huge quantities of foodgrains, onions, etc then demand will not\u00a0 be met and may lead to demand pull food inflation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in house hold consumption<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RBI adopts cheap money policy, cheaper credits are available. Thus people\u2019s propensity to spend increases<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7th pay commission. People have more money. They spend more.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in Private Investmets<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-58752\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=750%2C629&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"629\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the present COVID-19 outbreak, there is huge demand for the masks in India (as several states has made wearing masks compulsory when stepping out). This sudden rise in demand for masks may not be met by suppliers as they did not anticipated this situation. Thus\u00a0 due to increase in demand, price of masks will increase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, suppose Apple launches limited edition iphone with limited stock (supply). If there is huge demand for the iphone, the price will usually rise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the example of single products. It for the entire economy aggregate demand &gt; aggregate supply, then prices of goods and services will go up resulting in demand pull inflation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflationary Gap<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In case of Demand Pull Inflation, aggregate demand &gt; aggregate supply of goods and services (at full employment)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This excess demand represent Inflationary Gap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, If aggregate demand exceeds the aggregate value of output at the full employment level, there will exist an inflationary gap in the economy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The inflationary gap results in price rise. Prices will continue to rise till this gap exists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211; Due to rise in government expenditure, purchasing power of people increase. This creates excess demand in an economy resulting in inflationary gap<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Combat Demand Side Inflation<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steps have to be taken to reduce the demand. For Example<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government going for fiscal consolidation (rather than fiscal stimulus)[Contractionar Fiscal Policy]<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in Personal Income tax\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monetary Policy measures by RBI. RBI adopting dear money policy<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in repo rate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in CRR and SLR<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selling Government Security through Open market Operation (sucking out excess liquidity)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sudden exports of items may be curbed by imposing Minimum Export Price<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h6>2. Cost Pull Inflation<\/h6>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Definition<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When price rise because aggregate supply in an economy declines or is lower than the aggregate demand (at full employment level) of goods and services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This decline in aggregate supply is majorly due to rise in production cost.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Causes<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost push inflation is mainly due to increasing cost of production. The production cost can increase mainly due to following three factors<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in wages of the employees<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7th pay commission has increased the wages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Labour union forces management of manufacturing firm to increase the wages of workers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in prices of raw materials<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rise in crude oil prices (due to various reasons) can lead to rise in input costs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decline in agricultural output due to floods, famine etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in Profit margin by firms<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If firms decide to increase their profit margin, it results in increase in prices of goods and services. It usually happen when a single company id major supplier of the goods (monopoly)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in prices of imports<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase in prices of inputs which are imported <\/span>can lead to rise in overall price of goods<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-58752\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Untitled-design-2.png?resize=750%2C629&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"629\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A rise in prices of oil will lead to rise in input cost (transportation cost etc will increase) and thus will lead to cost push inflation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflationary Gap<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflationary gap is the amount by which actual aggregate demand falls short of aggregate supply at level of full employment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflationary gap causes a decline in output, income and employment along with persistent fall in prices.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Combat Cost Pull Inflation\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steps have to be taken to reduce the cost of production. For Example<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government providing subsidies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Government providing for maximum price at which a product can be sold<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improving supply side factors such as dismantling APMCs, Fertilzer subsidy reform etc<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h6>3. Structural Factors<\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It means that inflation is due to structural factors<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under developed transportation sector will increase logistic cost and will result in overall increase in prices of commodities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, structural bottlenecks in agricultural sector such as APMCs, involvement of middlemen, imperfect price discovery leads to rise in food prices<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resource constraints (such as government Budget constrain) to finance infrastructure development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structural Inflation is generally significant in explaining the food inflation in India<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Effects of Inflation<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The question one can ask is why care about inflation? What difference does it make if the average level of prices changes?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here we will discuss the effect of inflation on<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Value of Money<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lenders and borrowers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effect on Individuals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Effect of Inflation on Value of Money<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation decreases the value of money over time. Money loses value when its purchasing power falls. Since inflation is a rise in the level of prices, the amount of goods and services a given amount of money can buy falls with inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation leads to decline in the value of money over a period of time. It erodes purchasing power of money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211; Let us suppose a person has Rs. 100 in 2019 and price of apple is Rs. 10 per apple. He\/She can buy 10 apple. Now due to inflation, the price of apple in 2020 rises to Rs. 20 per apple. Thus a person can only buy 5 apples in 2020. Thus the purchasing power of money has declined in 2020 (can buy 5 apples only) over 2019 (can buy 10 apple). Thus the money has lost value.<\/span><\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Effect of Inflation on lenders and borrowers<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation is bad for lender and good for borrower. Inflation helps borrowers and hurt lenders. Inflation re-distribute wealth from creditors to lenders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lenders suffers due to inflation. It is because the money they get paid back has less purchasing power than the money they loaned out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let us understand this by an example.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suppose a Lender A lends Rs. 100 to B at 10% interest rate in 2019. The prevailing price of Orange is Rs 10 per Orange.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now in 2020, The prevailing prices of orange is Rs. 15 per orange due to Inflation. B gives money back to A i.e Rs. 110. A can buy around 7 oranges. However earlier (in 2019) A can buy 10 oranges. Thus Money which was paid back to the A has less purchasing power (can buy around 7 oranges) than the money loaned out (can buy 10 oranges). Thus lenders A suffers due to Inflation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Borrowers benefit out of inflation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Inflation reduces the value of money. interest rate that a borrower pays is effectively lower thanks to inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Learning &#8211; Let us know in the comment section how deflation impact the lenders and borrowers)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Effect of inflation on Individuals<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation erodes the value of money. Thus it will hurt people with fixed income.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People on fixed salaries, fixed pensions etc will be negatively impacted by the inflation as they will be able to buy lesser.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, businessman and entrepreneurs may benefit from inflation as the price of final product rises (faster than the input prices)<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>Related Terms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Terms\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Description<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation is a decrease in the general price levels of goods and services. It is opposite of Inflation. During deflation prices of goods and services tend to fall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation occurs when inflation rate falls below 0%. Thus inflation is negative during Deflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effects of Deflation<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It increases the value of Money<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It increases the Purchasing power of money. People can buy more from same amount of money. However, the do not spend as they\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation is good for lenders and bad for borrowers (apply the same logic as explained above). Deflation increases the real value of debt.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Thus deflation discourages borrowing (and by extension, consumption and investment today.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People may have less propensity to spend and more to save as they will hold on to in expectation of further decline in prices.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Economists consider Deflation bad for economy. Borrowing is discouraged. People\u2019s consumption decline. It further leads to economy in recession.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In deflation, there is a steep decline in the general price level, which indicates an unhealthy condition of the economy. It can cause high unemployment, increase layoff, fall in the wage rates, decrease profits, low demand, low income, restricted credit supply in the economy. Deflation often leads the economy to depression<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ways to Combat Deflation<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase the credit supply in the economy. Reduce repo rate, CRR and SLR<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dis-inflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is slower rate of inflation. It means that there is still rise in prices but overall rate is slow. It is simply a slowing of Inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211; If the inflation rate for years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 are 10%, 8%, 6% and 4% respectively. Then it shows the dis-inflation in economy as inflation is slowing down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The general price level rises in disinflation, but the rate of inflation decreases over the period.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike inflation and deflation, which refer to the direction of prices, disinflation refers to the rate of change in the rate of inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">disinflation is not considered as problematic because prices do not actually drop, and disinflation does not usually signal the onset of a slowing economy.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation vs Dis-Inflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dis-Inflation<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prices of goods and services fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prices of goods and services do not fall. Their price rise but overall rate is slow<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is result of decline in overall price level in the economy.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is overall fall in inflation rate<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation is negative<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation is positive. However, rate of inflation slows down (for example from 3% to 2%)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It signifies direction of prices of goods and services<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It signifies rate of change in the rate of inflation<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harmful to the economy.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually not harmful to the economy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stagflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is a situation where the inflation rate is high, the economic growth rate slows down, and unemployment is also high<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stagflation = High Inflation + High Unemployment + Stagnant Growth<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It raises a dilemma for economic policy since actions designed to lower inflation may exacerbate unemployment, and vice versa. It is unusual because policies to reduce inflation make life difficult for the unemployed, while steps to alleviate unemployment raise inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stagflation led to the emergence of the Misery index<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflation is a fiscal or monetary policy enacted after a period of economic slowdown or contraction. Here the goal is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to expand output, stimulate spending and curb the effects of deflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As such, the term &#8220;reflation&#8221; is also used to describe the first phase of economic recovery after a period of contraction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflation policies can include reducing taxes, changing the money supply and lowering interest rates.\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skewflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It means that some sectors are facing inflation while other sectors of economy do not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211; Food prices may rise due to due to increase in prices of onion and tomatoes, whereas prices of other commodities remain same<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philips Curve<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a curve which provides relationship between inflation and unemployment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per the Philips curve, there is <\/span><b>inverse relationship <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between Inflation and Unemployment<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The underlying logic behind the Phillips curve is that wages are quite \u201csticky\u201d, or inflexible, in a market economy, so unemployment is bound to shoot up whenever workers refuse to accept lower wages.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP Deflator<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a measure of general price inflation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is calculated by dividing nominal GDP by real GDP and then multiplying by 100. Nominal GDP is<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the market value of goods and services produced in an economy, unadjusted for inflation (It is the<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP measured at current prices). Real GDP is nominal GDP, adjusted for inflation to reflect changesin real output (It is the GDP measured at constant prices).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP Deflator = (GDP at Current Prices\/GDP at constant Price) * 100<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP deflator is much more broader and comprehensive measure of inflation than CPI and WPI. GDP deflator reflects the prices of all domestically produced goods and<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">services in the economy whereas, other measures like CPI and WPI are based on a limited basket of<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">goods and services, thereby not representing the entire economy. Further, WPI doen not include services whereas, GDP deflator includes Services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP deflator also includes the prices of investment goods, government services and exports, and excludes the price of imports.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDP deflator is usually released quarterly or yearly (CPI and WPI are released monthly) by Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Head Line Inflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a measure of total inflation in an economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In India, Consumer Price Index Combined (CPI -C) represents Headline Inflation<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core Inflation<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core Inflation is Headline Inflation minus the food and fuel inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core Inflation is also known as underlying inflation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a reflection of long term inflationary trend in the economy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h6><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Base Effect<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The base effect refers to the impact of the rise in price level (i.e. last year\u2019s inflation) in the previous year over the corresponding rise in price levels in the current year (i.e., current inflation)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when a change in the index in the base period has a considerable effect on the measured inflation, this is called base effect of inflation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example &#8211;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Case 1 &#8211; The price index of january 2016 is 110 and that of January 2017 is 120.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now Inflation of jan 2017 = (120-110)\/110 *100 which comes out to be 9.09 %<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Case 2 &#8211; The price index for March 2017 is 180 and that of March 2018 is 190. Now Inflation of March 2018 = (190-180)\/180*100 which comes out to be 5.55%<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now we see in both the case the increase in price index is 10 but the rate of inflation is different. This is due to the base effect<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Previous Year Questions of Prelims<\/span><\/h5>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Economic growth is usually coupled with? (UPSC-Pre-2011)<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deflation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inflation\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stagflation\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hyperinflation<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A rise in general level of prices may be caused by (UPSC-Pre-2013)<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An increase in the money supply.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A decrease in the aggregate level of output.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An increase in the effective demand.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Select the correct answer from the code given below<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 a) 1 only\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 b) 1 and 2 only\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0c) 2 and 3 only\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0d) 1, 2 and 3<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: left;\" start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Which is an appropriate description of deflation? [UPSC-CDS-2012-II]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (a) it is a sudden fall in the value of a currency against other currencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (b) It is a persistent recession in the economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (c) It is a persistent fall in the general price level of goods and services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (d) It is fall in the rate of inflation over a period of time\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: left;\" start=\"4\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A rapid increase in the rate of inflation is sometimes attributed to the &#8220;base effect&#8221;. What is &#8220;base effect&#8221;?(Asked in UPSC-Pre-2011)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (a) It is the impact of drastic deficiency in supply due to failure of crops<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (b) It is the impact of the surge in demand due to rapid economic growth<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (c) It is the impact of the price levels of previous year on the calculation of inflation rate<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (d) None of the statements\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: left;\" start=\"5\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Choose the correct statement from the following(s): (UPSC-Pre-2013)<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0a) Inflation benefits the debtors.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0b) Inflation benefits the bondholders.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0c) Both A and B<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0d) Neither A nor B\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol style=\"text-align: left;\" start=\"6\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Which of the following measures should be taken when an economy is <\/span>going through in inflationary pressures? [UPSC-CDS-2012-I]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The direct taxes should be increased.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The interest rate should be reduced.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The public spending should be increased.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Select the correct answer from the code given below<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (a) Only 1\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (b) Only 2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (c) 2 and 3\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (d) 1 and 2\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking forward to your answers in the comment down below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all for this post folks. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the next post we will learn about the different index used to measure inflation such as WPI\/CPI etc. <\/span>Do Comment down below and let us know what you thought about the post. See you in the next one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Confused about inflation and its effect ? type? and so on? Fret not, read our article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":58783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,2,9],"tags":[221,217,3337],"class_list":["post-58675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","category-economy-2","category-public","tag-economy","tag-gs-3","tag-inflation","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/61748650-inflation-word-cloud-concept.jpg?fit=1300%2C866&ssl=1","views":{"total":26,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1698278182},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}