Demand-pull Inflation is a type of price increase that occurs as a result of rapid expansion in aggregate demand. It happens when the economy grows too quickly.
When aggregate demand (AD) exceeds production capacity (LRAS), firms will respond by raising prices, causing inflation.
How demand-pull inflation occurs
If aggregate demand grows at 4%, but productive capacity grows at just 2.5 percent, enterprises will see demand surpass supply. As a result, they respond by raising prices.
Furthermore, as businesses create more, they hire more workers, resulting in an increase in employment and a decrease in unemployment. As a result of the increased demand for workers, salaries are being pushed up, resulting in wage-push inflation. Workers’ disposable income rises as a result of higher pay, resulting in increased consumer expenditure.
The long trend rate of economic growth is the rate of economic growth that is sustainable; it is the pace of economic growth that is free of demand-pull inflation. Inflationary pressures will arise if economic growth exceeds the long-run trend rate.
When the economy is in a boom, growth exceeds the long-run trend rate, and demand-pull inflation results.
Causes of demand-pull inflation
- Interest rates that are lower. Interest rate reductions result in increased consumer spending and investment. This increase in demand raises AD and inflationary pressures.
- The increase in the cost of housing. Rising property prices enhance consumer spending by creating a positive wealth effect. As a result, economic growth accelerates.
- Devaluation. Exchange rate depreciation boosts domestic demand (exports cheaper, imports more expensive). Cost-push inflation will also result from devaluation (imports more expensive)
Demand pull inflation and Phillips Curve
A Phillips Curve can also be used to depict demand-pull inflation. A surge in demand results in a decrease in unemployment (from 6% to 3%), but an increase in inflation (from 2% to 5%).
Examples of demand pull inflation
Inflation grew from 1986 to 1991. This was an example of inflation driven by consumer demand.
Cost-push factors (wages/oil prices in the 1970s) were the primary causes of inflation in the late 1970s.
The rate of economic growth in the United Kingdom reached over 4% in the late 1980s.
Demand-side variables, such as the following, contributed to the high pace of economic growth:
Inflation rose from 2% in 1966 to 6% in 1970 as a result of rapid economic expansion in the mid-1960s.
Demand pull inflation and other types of inflation
- Inflationary cost-push (rising costs of production). For example, in the early 1970s, economic growth and rising oil costs combined to generate a 12 percent increase in US inflation by 1974.
- Inflation is built-in. Inflation moves at its own pace. High inflation in prior years increases the likelihood of future inflation as businesses raise prices in expectation of greater inflation.
Decline of demand pull inflation
Demand-pull inflation has grown increasingly infrequent in recent years. Cost-push factors were mostly responsible for the slight increases in inflation (2008/2001). There has been no significant demand-pull inflation in recent decades. This is due to a variety of circumstances.
- Independent Central Banks are in charge of monetary policy and keeping inflation under 2%.
- The global economy is putting downward pressure on prices. Inflation in Asia’s manufactured goods.
What factors contribute to demand-pull inflation?
Demand-Pull Inflation: What It Is and What It Isn’t Prices rise when the collective demand in an economy outweighs the aggregate supply. The most typical source of inflation is this. An rise in employment, according to Keynesian economic theory, leads to an increase in aggregate demand for consumer products.
What are the main sources of cost-push inflation and demand pull?
Inflation is defined as a rise in the price level of goods and services, resulting in a loss of purchasing power in the economy or, in other words, a decrease in the purchasing power of money.
Inflation may be classified into two forms, depending on whether it is caused by the demand side or the price of inputs in the economy. Demand pull inflation is formed as a result of demand side variables, while cost push inflation is formed as a result of supply side factors.
When the economy’s aggregate demand exceeds the economy’s aggregate supply, demand pull inflation occurs. Cost pull inflation occurs when aggregate demand remains constant but aggregate supply decreases due to external factors, causing price levels to rise.
Let’s take a look at some of the differences between demand-pull and cost-push inflation.
Which of the following is a cause of demand-pull inflation?
Increases in aggregate demand create DEMAND-PULL INFLATION. Gains in government expenditure, reductions in taxes, boosts in wealth, increases in consumer confidence, and increases in the money supply could all contribute to demand-pull inflation.
What are the five factors that contribute to inflation?
Inflation is a significant factor in the economy that affects everyone’s finances. Here’s an in-depth look at the five primary reasons of this economic phenomenon so you can comprehend it better.
Growing Economy
Unemployment falls and salaries normally rise in a developing or expanding economy. As a result, more people have more money in their pockets, which they are ready to spend on both luxuries and necessities. This increased demand allows suppliers to raise prices, which leads to more jobs, which leads to more money in circulation, and so on.
In this setting, inflation is viewed as beneficial. The Federal Reserve does, in fact, favor inflation since it is a sign of a healthy economy. The Fed, on the other hand, wants only a small amount of inflation, aiming for a core inflation rate of 2% annually. Many economists concur, estimating yearly inflation to be between 2% and 3%, as measured by the consumer price index. They consider this a good increase as long as it does not significantly surpass the economy’s growth as measured by GDP (GDP).
Demand-pull inflation is defined as a rise in consumer expenditure and demand as a result of an expanding economy.
Expansion of the Money Supply
Demand-pull inflation can also be fueled by a larger money supply. This occurs when the Fed issues money at a faster rate than the economy’s growth rate. Demand rises as more money circulates, and prices rise in response.
Another way to look at it is as follows: Consider a web-based auction. The bigger the number of bids (or the amount of money invested in an object), the higher the price. Remember that money is worth whatever we consider important enough to swap it for.
Government Regulation
The government has the power to enact new laws or tariffs that make it more expensive for businesses to manufacture or import goods. They pass on the additional costs to customers in the form of higher prices. Cost-push inflation arises as a result of this.
Managing the National Debt
When the national debt becomes unmanageable, the government has two options. One option is to increase taxes in order to make debt payments. If corporation taxes are raised, companies will most likely pass the cost on to consumers in the form of increased pricing. This is a different type of cost-push inflation situation.
The government’s second alternative is to print more money, of course. As previously stated, this can lead to demand-pull inflation. As a result, if the government applies both techniques to address the national debt, demand-pull and cost-push inflation may be affected.
Exchange Rate Changes
When the US dollar’s value falls in relation to other currencies, it loses purchasing power. In other words, imported goods which account for the vast bulk of consumer goods purchased in the United States become more expensive to purchase. Their price rises. The resulting inflation is known as cost-push inflation.
Which of the following is not a source of demand-pull inflation?
Both demand-pull and cost-push inflation have similar outcomes: A rise in prices across a country’s economy. Their underlying sources, however, are distinct. Let’s look at the distinctions between the two.
Aggregate demand does not drive cost-push inflation. Rather, it is the result of rising production costs. In most cases, the increase in production costs is due to a scarcity of supplies or labor. Because of the scarcity, production costs rise, resulting in higher pricing overall. Natural resource scarcity, which can force prices upward, can also cause cost-push inflation.
It can also result from monopolistic segments of society driving up wages above the average, raising overall production costs. Due to a lack of competition, these monopolistic segments can charge a higher price for their goods and services, resulting in cost-push inflation.
What are some examples of inflation caused by demand?
Demand-pull inflation occurs when an excessive number of people try to buy an insufficient number of items. Unlike supply-pull inflation, which is caused by a lack of goods and then leads to price increases, demand-pull inflation is triggered by a rise in aggregate demand first. Only then can prices rise as a result of the rising demand surpassing the product’s supply. The most common type of inflation is known as demand-pull inflation.
Increases in government spending can sometimes result in demand-pull inflation. For example, if the government invests money in a system with limited resources, demand-pull inflation may result.
Many of the recent rounds of stimulus checks sparked concerns about demand-pull inflation. Critics worried that it would lead to a situation in which too much money was spent on too few things. Demand-pull inflation, on the other hand, is frequently linked to low unemployment rates since more people working means more disposable income in the financial system.
The following are some of the most common causes of demand-pull inflation:
Who is to blame for inflation?
They claim supply chain challenges, growing demand, production costs, and large swathes of relief funding all have a part, although politicians tends to blame the supply chain or the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 as the main reasons.
A more apolitical perspective would say that everyone has a role to play in reducing the amount of distance a dollar can travel.
“There’s a convergence of elements it’s both,” said David Wessel, head of the Brookings Institution’s Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. “There are several factors that have driven up demand and prevented supply from responding appropriately, resulting in inflation.”
Which of the following scenarios represents demand-pull inflation?
Consumers have more money to buy televisions, thus the prices of televisions and their parts are rising as a result of demand-pull inflation.