Understanding Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe

Question related to hyperinflation in Zimbabwe 

Readers Question: I do not understand the responses. If prices are rising by 1000% and unemployment is 80% then WHO is buying the goods? It cannot be the people unemployed as they would not have the money. If the answer is ‘no-one is buying the goods, hence starvation’ then why would prices be so high as if there’s no demand….

Usually in the West, inflation is caused during periods of rapid growth; it is termed demand pull inflation. However, this particular case of inflation is not caused by an economic boom, but, a collapse in the economy where the money supply is growing despite a fall in output and number of goods available.

Although unemployment is close to 80%, there are still people with money. There are many groups of workers who have rising nominal wages because the government is printing more money, but, because the output of goods is falling, the value of money is decreasing rapidly.

Basically, even if only a small % of the population has any money that is sufficient to cause inflation, if the output is falling. The real problem is that many people have more cash / money, but have declining real incomes.

Because there is a shortage of goods and the printing of more money it is inevitable that inflation occurs.

Note printing money does nothing to increase Real output, Real GDP. It is a basic economic paradox that you can’t get richer by printing more money. But, it doesn’t stop people in desperate situations trying.