New 55% Off on All Courses - Enroll Now! Click Here

    Question

    An increase in the expected rate of inflation

    A will cause the Phillips curve to shift down. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    B will cause the Phillips curve to shift up. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    C will cause the inflation-rate, unemployment-rate combination to move up to the left along the Phillips curve. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    D will cause the inflation-rate, unemployment-rate combination to move down to the right along the Phillips curve. Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    E None of these Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

    Solution

    The Phillips curve gives the relationship between the country's inflation rate and its unemployment rate at a given set of inflationary expectations. An unexpected expansion of aggregate demand will reduce the rate of unemployment because wage and price setters do not increase wages and prices all the way to the new long-run equilibrium. In the long-run when workers and firms realize that aggregate demand has increased wages and prices will rise all the way and the Phillips curve will shift up to the point where the new inflation rate will be consistent with the natural rate of unemployment. Any expectation of an increase in the inflation rate will cause the Phillips curve to shift up; a higher rate of inflation will be consistent with each level of unemployment.

    Practice Next