The Hinckley Institute Radio Hour — Today on the program, a panel of experts discusses inflation and its relation to consumption, labor and corporate power.
Since March of last year, the Federal Reserve has increased interest rates ten times in an effort to curb inflationary pressures. The latest rate hike in early May has brought the rate to 5.25 percent—a 500 basis point increase from the low rates implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained through 2021. Commentators and politicians have criticized the Fed’s policy for its negative impact on employment and its potential to cause a recession.
Today’s panel attempts to demystify the causes of inflation and offers public policy solutions that could ease the squeeze felt by consumers. The panel includes Dr. Ivan Mendieta-Munoz, assistant professor of economics at the University of Utah; Phil Dean, public finance senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute; and Marshall Steinbaum, assistant professor of economics at the University of Utah. Moderating the panel is Rudi Von Arnim, associate professor in the Economics Department at the University of Utah.
This forum was recorded on March 2nd, 2022.
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