Inflation

From an award-winning professor of economics, an accessible and comprehensive introduction to what causes, and what can address, increases in the cost of living.

Anyone who has balked at the price of a carton of eggs or lamented the cost of a tank of gas in the past five years has experienced the sting of inflation. What causes inflation? When has it surged historically? And which policies best address it? In this concise and timely volume, economist Martha Olney explains what inflation is, its patterns over time, its underlying causes, the controversial Phillips Curve and its possible relevance, anti-inflation policy, and more. From the obvious rise in the cost of living to the more discreet decrease in quality of goods and services, Olney provides an indispensable introduction to the concept of inflation and what we can do to address its effects.Chapter 1
Inflation: Impact, Measurement, Terminology, and some Technical Details

Chapter 2
Historical Patterns of Inflation

Chapter 3
What Causes Inflation?

Chapter 4
The Phillips Curve

Chapter 5
Anti-Inflation Policy

Chapter 6
Applying What We Have Learned“Written in accessible language with plenty of practical applications of economic theory, this book will appeal to readers seeking to understand inflation and the tools used by the Federal Reserve to manage it.” – Jennifer Michaelson for BooklistMartha Olney is Teaching Professor Emerita from the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. She is author of Macroeconomics as a Second Language and Microeconomics as a Second Language and coauthor of Essentials of Economics and Macroeconomics. She is the recipient of multiple teaching and mentorship awards and an elected member of the Society of Distinguished Fellows of the Economic History Association.