Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, bool given in /var/www/html/web/app/themes/studypress-core-theme/template-parts/header/mobile-offcanvas.php on line 20

Chapter 17: Q. 1 - Critical Thinking Questions (page 391)

How might low inflation expectations on the part of the public help to hold down actual inflation? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified

As a result, the long-run Phillips curve was shifted to the right by 6.5%. This is in response to the belief that lowering inflation below its natural level will raise inflation.

Step by step solution

01

Step: 1 Introduction:

A reduction (back to the left shifting) of the aggregate curve is caused by a drop in inflationary expectations. Interest rates, the federal debt, and the money creation are all important aggregate demand factors. Consumers' inflationary expectations are their expectations for future inflation.

02

Step: 2 Unemployment rate:

According to research, the Federal should allow inflation to grow from its present goal level of 2% in order to lower the unemployment rate. The present unemployment rate criterion of 6.5% was too high, and with the promise of low borrowing rates, a more reasonable level will be 5.5%.

03

Step: 3 Actual inflation:

Also with level of unemployment rising, the long-run Phillips curve was shifted to the right by6.5%. This is in response to the belief that lowering inflation below its natural level will raise inflation.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Understand the rational expectations hypothesis and its policy implications.

People called "Fed watchers" earn their living by trying to forecast what policies the Federal Reserve will implement within the next few weeks and months. Suppose that Fed watchers discover that the current group of Fed officials is following very systematic and predictable policies intended to reduce the unemployment rate. The Fed watchers then sell this information to firms, unions, and others in the private sector. If pure competition prevails, prices and wages are flexible, and people form rational expectations, are the Fed's policies enacted after the information sale likely to have their intended effects on the unemployment rate?

Normally, when aggregate demand increases, firms find it more profitable to raise prices than to leave prices unchanged. The idea behind the small-menu-cost explanation for price stickiness is that firms will leave their prices unchanged if their profit gain from adjusting prices is less than the menu costs they would incur if they change prices. If firms anticipate that a rise in demand is likely to last for a long time, does this make them more or less likely to adjust their prices when they face small menu costs? (Hint: Profits are a flow that firms earn from week to week and month to month, but small menu costs are a one-time expense.)

Why might it be the case that even if distorted beliefs alter real GDP and the unemployment rate today, such beliefs might be unlikely to arise among households and firms again in the future? Explain your reasoning.

Suppose that people who previously had held jobs become cyclically unemployed at the same time the inflation rate declines. Would the result be a movement along or a shift of the short-run Phillips curve? Explain your reasoning.

See all solutions

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free