
Inflation
Martha Olney(Author)
MIT Press
Published on 23. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-262-55315-5 (ISBN)
Description
From an award-winning professor of economics, an accessible and comprehensive introduction to what causes, and what can address, increases in the cost of living. Anyone who has balked at the price of a carton of eggs or lamented the cost of a tank of gas in the past five years has experienced the sting of inflation. What causes inflation? When has it surged historically? And which policies best address it? In this concise and timely volume, economist Martha Olney explains what inflation is, its patterns over time, its underlying causes, the controversial Phillips Curve and its possible relevance, anti-inflation policy, and more. From the obvious rise in the cost of living to the more discreet decrease in quality of goods and services, Olney provides an indispensable introduction to the concept of inflation and what we can do to address its effects.
Reviews / Votes
"Written in accessible language with plenty of practical applications of economic theory, this book will appeal to readers seeking to understand inflation and the tools used by the Federal Reserve to manage it." - Jennifer Michaelson for BooklistMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge (Massachusetts)
United States
Publishing group
MIT Press Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
6 GRAPHS
Dimensions
Height: 175 mm
Width: 125 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
240 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-262-55315-5 (9780262553155)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Martha Olney is Teaching Professor Emerita from the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. She is author of Macroeconomics as a Second Language and Microeconomics as a Second Language and coauthor of Essentials of Economics and Macroeconomics. She is the recipient of multiple teaching and mentorship awards and an elected member of the Society of Distinguished Fellows of the Economic History Association.
Content
Chapter 1
Inflation: Impact, Measurement, Terminology, and some Technical Details
Chapter 2
Historical Patterns of Inflation
Chapter 3
What Causes Inflation?
Chapter 4
The Phillips Curve
Chapter 5
Anti-Inflation Policy
Chapter 6
Applying What We Have Learned
Inflation: Impact, Measurement, Terminology, and some Technical Details
Chapter 2
Historical Patterns of Inflation
Chapter 3
What Causes Inflation?
Chapter 4
The Phillips Curve
Chapter 5
Anti-Inflation Policy
Chapter 6
Applying What We Have Learned