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The Inflation Accelerator

Author

Listed:
  • Blanco, Andres
  • Boar, Corina
  • Jones, Callum
  • Midrigan, Virgiliu

Abstract

We develop a tractable sticky price model in which the fraction of price changes evolves endogenously over time and, consistent with the evidence, increases with inflation. Because we assume that firms sell multiple products and choose how many, but not which, prices to adjust in any given period, our model admits exact aggregation and reduces to a one-equation extension of the Calvo model. This additional equation determines the fraction of price changes. The model features a powerful inflation accelerator – a feedback loop between inflation and the fraction of price changes – which significantly increases the slope of the Phillips curve during periods of high inflation. Applied to the U.S. time series, our model predicts that the slope of the Phillips curve ranges from 0.02 in the 1990s to 0.20 in the 1970s and 1980s.

Suggested Citation

  • Blanco, Andres & Boar, Corina & Jones, Callum & Midrigan, Virgiliu, 2024. "The Inflation Accelerator," CEPR Discussion Papers 19130, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19130
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    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Guido Ascari & Alexandre Carrier & Emanuele Gasteiger & Alex Grimaud & Gauthier Vermandel, 2026. "Monetary policy in the Euro Area, when Phillips curves ... are curves," Working Papers 861, DNB.
    3. Hashmat Khan & Sergio Lago Alves, 2025. "Are New Keynesian Models Useful When Trend Inflation is Not Very Low?," Carleton Economic Papers 25-01, Carleton University, Department of Economics.
    4. Bullard, James & Grimaud, Alex & Salle, Isabelle & Vermandel, Gauthier, 2026. "Soft landing and inflation scares," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    5. Meyer, Brent H. & Sheng, Xuguang Simon, 2025. "Unit cost expectations: Firms’ perspectives on inflation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    6. Ko Munakata, 2026. "A tractable menu cost model with an aggregate markup drift," BIS Working Papers 1327, Bank for International Settlements.
    7. Del Negro, Marco & Diagne, Ibrahima & Dogra, Keshav & Gundam, Pranay & Lee, Donggyu & Pacula, Brian, 2026. "Tradeoffs for the poor, divine coincidence for the rich," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit

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