Britannica Money (2024)

Inflation refers to the general increase in prices or the money supply, both of which can cause the purchasing power of a currency to decline.

From a consumer’s point of view, inflation is often perceived in relation to prices. We call it “inflation” when consumer goods and services across a wide segment of the economy are rising in cost. From a theoretical perspective, however, there are several ways to define inflation and the factors that cause it.

(Read Milton Friedman’s Britannica entry on money.)

Four theories of inflation, summarized

Four prevailing economic theories aim to define and explain inflation:

• The quantity theory of money argues that inflation is determined by the money supply. An increase in the amount of money in circulation will directly cause a proportional increase in the price of goods and services over time.
• The demand-pull theory of inflation suggests that the cost of goods and services rises when demand is greater than the available supply. This model of supply/demand imbalance reflects one of the most common definitions of inflation: “Too much money chasing too few goods.”
• The cost-push theory attributes inflation to the rising cost of production—whether raw materials or wages—amid a steady flow in demand. An increase in these “input costs” will likely decrease a manufacturer’s bottom line. To compensate, some manufacturers may decide to transfer these extra costs to the consumer by charging higher prices for the same unit of goods.
• The structural theory of inflation describes a type of inflation that often prevails in developing countries. It says inflation is caused by “structural” weakness in a country’s capacity to produce goods or maintain an adequate flow of supply. Poor infrastructure, outdated technologies, or inefficient supply chains can contribute to general underproductivity, creating imbalances between supply and demand. Inflation that stems from structural issues may not be easily changed by monetary policy.

Let’s look at each inflation theory in more detail.

1. The quantity theory of money

Thesis: Inflation is determined by the money supply.

As the first and oldest of the inflation theories, the quantity theory of money views inflation as primarily a “monetary” occurrence. In other words, the influence of the amount of money in the economy takes precedence over all other factors, including income levels, demand for goods, and frequency of spending (aka, the velocity of circulation or velocity of money).

Although these other factors may fluctuate in the near term, over time and on average, their changes may not be consequential enough to drive up prices in any significant manner. Dramatic increases in the money supply, however, can cause a notable shift in prices. For example, if the money supply doubles, according to the theory, price levels are expected also to double. Inflation, therefore, is first and foremost a monetary matter.

The quantity theory was originally formulated in 1517 by mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus, revived in the 18th century by a number of philosophers—particularly David Hume—and refined in the 1950s and ’60s by a group of economists at the University of Chicago, led by Milton Friedman.

Why was it “refined” in the middle half of the 20th century by Friedman and his fellow “Chicago School” colleagues? The quantity theory ran into a few major bumps between World Wars I and II—particularly during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The theory assumes that a nation is at or near full employment. Its productive capacity, therefore, would be running at an optimal level. During the Great Depression, the lack of employment opportunities brought national production to crippling levels.

Although a shift toward a Keynesian approach to economic policy (see below) is largely credited for pulling the U.S. economy out of its Depression-era slump, culminating in the production boom during World War II, Milton Friedman and the Chicago school revisited the basic tenets of quantity theory in the decades that followed.

They agreed that short-term changes in the money supply may not be very effective in controlling short-term movements in the economy. However, they contended, changes in the money supply can cause longer-term changes in income, frequency of consumer spending, and eventually, the prices of goods and services. Therefore, to achieve price stability in the long term, it may be necessary to increase the money supply on a regular basis, and at a rate equal to that of an economy’s estimated expansion.

Not all economists agree with this view. Many argue that in highly developed economies, the demand for goods and higher wages takes precedence over the money supply. In other words, consumer demand and the need for spending are what support the case for increasing the money supply; increasing the money supply alone will not increase demand or consumption. And if rising demand outpaces available supply, the velocity of money will increase—if not through actual “cash” transactions, then through credit expansion.

2. The demand-pull theory

Thesis: The cost of goods and services rises when demand is greater than the available supply.

This second basic approach to inflation, a key tenet of John Maynard Keynes’s theory of economics, claims that aggregate demand influences output and inflation. One of Keynes’s aims was to devise a way in which an economy can pull itself out of a recession.

Keynes believed that increasing aggregate demand and expenditure is key to boosting economic growth. But how does a country stimulate demand? According to Keynes’s theory, the government needs to spend money in order to get money flowing in the economy. This has usually taken the form of government infrastructure projects to boost employment (although there are other variations of economic stimulus that governments have implemented, such as the cash payments sent directly to American households during the COVID-19 pandemic). Newly generated income (from jobs or cash stimulus) can boost demand for consumer goods, which can increase spending and consumption.

Keynes also believed that interest rates—essentially the cost of borrowing money—can significantly affect both consumption and investment on a private and corporate level. Lower interest rates tend to encourage spending and business investment, which also stimulates the velocity of money. Higher interest, on the other hand, tends to have the opposite effect, encouraging savings over consumption.

Eventually, the increase in aggregate demand may surpass aggregate supply, causing prices to rise. In other words, when consumer demand increases amid limited supply, prices tend to be bid (or “pulled”) higher. Hence, the term “demand-pull” inflation.

The Keynesian approach and all its variations are significant because they give governments a framework to influence the economic cycle through fiscal policy. Keynesian economics has dominated the economic policies of many industrialized countries since the mid-20th century. Still, Keynes’s approach does not eliminate all uncertainties. For example, there’s a time lag between fiscal and (central bank) monetary policy actions and their effects on demand and consumption. Nevertheless, many economists believe the Keynesian approach has led to better control over short-term changes in employment and real income.

The big caveat to Keynes’s approach emerged in the period following WWII until the end of the 1970s. It had no viable response to “stagflation,” in which high inflation coincided with slow economic growth.