Demand inflation

By:

James Knight

James is a lead editor for Invezz, where he covers topics from across the financial world, from the stock… read more.

Updated: Aug 20, 2021

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Inflation due to excess demand. If resources are not perfectly mobile between different regions and sectors of the economy, demand inflation can occur even if the level of effective demand in the economy as a whole is below the level needed for normal levels of employment. The higher the aggregate level of activity, the larger the proportion of areas and industries which experience excess demand for goods and labour of various sorts, and the more powerful is demand-inflationary pressure. Demand inflation is distinct from cost inflation, which occurs when price and wage increases are transmitted from one sector to another. The two forms of inflation should be regarded as different aspects of an overall inflationary process.

Reference: Oxford Press Dictonary of Economics, 5th edt.