On Inflation and Poverty

TJ Palanca
Sep 9, 2018 · 5 min read

It’s getting more expensive to be poor in the Philippines.

We tend to think of inflation as a singular force that affects everyone the same way. It turns out however that the poorest households may have m’ore to lose as the peso shrinks. In this photo is a 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill, commonplace during its period of hyperinflation. (Photo: Paul/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

Everyone knows about inflation — a pervasive, unstoppable force that moves prices (and hopefully wages) upward in the economy, but do we really understand it? Further analysis reveals that official overall inflation statistics understate the effect of rising prices on the poor.

Understanding Inflation

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TJ Palanca

Written by

A data nerd that wants you to give numbers a chance. Data Scientist at Grab. Formerly Uber, EY.

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