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The Global Insight

What is stagflation example?

Author

John Johnson

Updated on March 02, 2026

For example, if there’s a sudden, unexpected increase in the price of a commodity like oil, prices surge accordingly while profits drop. The conflict between increased prices and reduced profits leads to a stagflation situation.

Who stagflation definition?

The term is generally attributed to a British politician who became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1970, Iain Macleod, who coined the phrase in his speech to Parliament in 1965. Keynes didn’t use the term, but some of his work refers to the conditions most would recognise as stagflation.

What causes stagflation in an economy?

Normally, slow economic growth prevents inflation according to the rules of supply and demand. As consumer demand drops, prices fall accordingly. This makes stagflation a rather unusual economic event, caused by disruptive government policies interfering in usual market function.

What causes stagflation and stagflation?

Economists offer two principal explanations for why stagflation occurs. First, stagflation can result when the economy faces a supply shock, such as a rapid increase in the price of oil. Second, the government can cause stagflation if it creates policies that harm industry while growing the money supply too quickly.

Does stagflation occur?

Will stagflation reoccur? According to some experts, stagflation will not happen again. Around 2018, many economists thought the markets were so inflated and heated that stagflation was all but ready to occur.

What is the cause of stagflation?

Stagflation is stagnant economic growth plus high inflation and high unemployment. It is caused by conflicting contractionary and expansionary fiscal policies. Stagflation got its name during the 1973-1975 recession, when GDP growth was negative for five quarters.

Who caused stagflation?

What is the definition of stagflation in economics?

Updated May 21, 2019. Stagflation is a condition of slow economic growth and relatively high unemployment, or economic stagnation, accompanied by rising prices, or inflation. It can also be defined as inflation and a decline in gross domestic product (GDP).

Why do people think stagflation is a bad thing?

In such a situation, prices surge, making production costlier and less profitable, thus slowing economic growth. A second theory states that stagflation can be a result of a poorly made economic policy.

Who was the first person to use the term stagflation?

The term “stagflation” was first used during a time of economic stress in the United Kingdom by politician Iain Macleod in the 1960s while he was speaking in the House of Commons. At the time, he was speaking about inflation on one side and stagnation on the other, calling it a “stagnation situation.”…

What is the difference between inflation and stagnation?

That’s why it’s called “stagflation”: it’s a clear combination of inflation and economic stagnation. Economic stagnation is defined as an extended span of minimal or nonexistent economic growth (generally, that means under 2 or 3 percent growth annually).