Phillips curve
/ˈfɪlɪpskəːv
/noun Economics
A supposed inverse relationship between the level of unemployment and the rate of inflation.Clearly, the linear relationship between unemployment and inflation posited by the Phillips curve does not hold....
- The Phillips curve over-predicted wage gains, let alone unit costs and inflation.
- Moreover, Keynesian explanations for inflation turned heavily on the Phillips curve, which postulated an inverse correlation between the level of unemployment and the rate of inflation.
Origin
1960s: named after Alban W. H. Phillips (1914–75), New Zealand economist.