Material consequences: the return of inflation and the value of price indexation
Alexander Paulsson
What the paper says
Inflation is not merely a shift in the value of money, it is also involving a redistribution of value. While some groups are severely affected by inflation, others profit from it. So, who bears the costs of inflation: corporations, employees, or consumers? And how is this redistribution taking place, by which devices? This study takes a critical look at a central device used in various markets: the price index. Despite its significance in representing inflation and mitigating inflationary risks in long-term contracts, price indexation has not been extensively explored in previous studies in the sociology of markets. Focusing on the evolution of a price indexation device in Sweden’s public transport market, this study explores how this device is not only designed to mitigate inflationary risks but also used to enable corporate profit-making during crisis. I conclude by suggesting the sociology of markets could explore how price indexation organize markets.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.