Saturday, June 14, 2008

Fasten your seatbelts

"Chervil" (author of the Australian Green Living blog) has kindly directed me to this article in the Sydney Morning Herald, which refers to ideas about economic long cycles:

David Hackett Fischer has studied the behaviour and historical meaning of inflation not just over the last decade, or the last century, but over the last 800 years. He sees the world positioned in a dangerous moment of possibility, on the rearing crest of the fourth great wave of inflation in eight centuries.

I would still be grateful for any information about what I shall call "sim economics" - potentially so much more useful than other simulation games.

Anybody able to help, please?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Get a copy of "The Great Wave" (Price revolutions and the rhythm of history) written by David Hackett Fischer in 1996.

Four "great waves" of inflation/depression are identified averaging around 200 years each.

This book is currently available on Amazon.

Sackerson said...

Thanks, John - ordered it this morning, after I read that article. The problem with all these long waves is it's always "about, around, approximately".

Anonymous said...

The uncertainty is what makes life so interesting.
If cycles unfolded against a rigid time table we would all be millionaires, and where's the fun in that? lol

Sackerson said...

If we were all millionaires, who'd wash our cars?