Controlling inflation is among the most important objectives of economic policy. By maintaining price stability, policy makers are able to reduce uncertainty, improve price-monitoring mechanisms, and facilitate more efficient planning and allocation of resources, thereby raising productivity. This volume focuses on understanding the causes of the Great Inflation of the 1970s and ’80s, which saw rising inflation in many nations, and which propelled interest rates across the developing world into the double digits. In the decades since, the immediate cause of the period’s rise in inflation has been the subject of considerable debate. Among the areas of contention are the role of monetary policy in driving inflation and the implications this had both for policy design and for evaluating the performance of those who set the policy. Here, contributors map monetary policy from the 1960s to the present, shedding light on the ways in which the lessons of the Great Inflation were absorbed and applied to today’s global and increasingly complex economic environment.

What if everything you’ve learned about inflation is wrong? The Inflation Myth and the Wonderful World of Deflation illustrates our rapidly changing world where constant technological innovation leads to cheaper and better products. These changes are no longer reflected in the ways we measure inflation. Renowned investor and author Mark Mobius persuasively argues that what we believe to know about inflation today does not reflect the reality any longer. It is a myth, a legend, a fable, and, yes, a falsehood for a number of reasons. The Inflation Myth and the Wonderful World of Deflation tackles a number of fascinating topics, including: The political nature of inflation measurement where governments manipulate and exploit inflation numbers to fit their economic programs The extreme difficulty involved in gathering accurate data to measure inflation and the resulting inaccuracy of those measures The error of using currencies to measure inflation when those currencies are continually being debased by the governments who issue them Finally, and most importantly, the advances in technology and automation which are leading to continuously falling costs for goods and services Perfect for anyone with even a passing interest in macroeconomic phenomena or government policies, which are significantly impacting people's everyday lives around the world, The Inflation Myth and the Wonderful World of Deflation provides a remarkably compelling and provocative view of stunning originality.