Inflation has become a central feature of the global economy. In Latin America (aside from idiosyncratic cases such as Argentina and Venezuela, where high inflation rates have long been the norm), inflation began to rise the first half of 2021, at the same time it did in the US. The fact that rising inflation has been a synchronized global phenomenon reflects two main causes, both directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated policy response.
By Andrés Velasco – Several central banks that began raising interests well before US and Euro-zone policymakers are still facing persistent inflation. But it was the right choice, because inflation was always likely to prove stubborn in today’s conditions, and waiting would have required even larger hikes later, with a heavier output cost.
Ronald Findlay, who passed away in October 2021, was one of the great trade theorists of his generation. As this column by one of his former students explains, he will be remembered for his brilliant intellect, his encyclopaedic knowledge of theory and history, and most of all for his modesty, warmth and supportive friendship.