the same happened in the recessions of the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s. but that correlation changed with the most recent crisis. this time steep jumps in unemployment with very limit impact on inflation. part of the reason why this happened is that central banks have taken on an unusually ak vis role in the last few years. the federal reserve and other central banks have pumped vast sums of money into the financial system. under normal market circumstances, that could lead to hyperinflation. but in the current scenario with very slow growth, with wage deflation, it has led to stability. u.s. inflation has had a roughly steady at 2%, lower than the global average. this is a significant policy success and what it it means is that despite the usual risk of inflation, governments still have room to be aggressive in stimulating growth. good news for the economy if we ll take it.