Saturday 22 October 2011

The UK Inflation-Unemployment Trade-Off




One more tentative step towards better data visualisations. This is a motion chart of the famous UK phillips curve - the relationship between inflation and unemployment.

Before you press the start button on this little application, click on the little bubble within the chart. If all goes to plan, then you should see the chart trace out the inflation and unemployment rates since 1991.

What does this application tell us?

First, in the early 1990s, the trade off was very bad; lots of unemployment and inflation.

Second, the Conservatives managed to reduce unemployment without actually increasing inflation. This was a major achievement.

Third, Labour managed to keep both unemployment and inflation down, at least until the crisis.

Finally, inflation has shot up since the crisis began. Unemployment is up too, but it hasn't reached the levels experienced during the 1990s recession.

(Finally, two things; first this is a flash based application. It won't work on an Ipad. Second, I have had some technical problems with this thing. It may not work on any machine apart from my own. If so, I am sorry, but I have reached the limits of my abilities with this kind of thing. Let me know if there are any problems, it would be useful to get some feedback)

12 comments:

Stagflationary Mark said...

I'm using a Firefox browser and it works for me! :)

Stagflationary Mark said...

That said, I am not seeing any seeing trails when the "Trails" checkbox is checked.

Anonymous said...

Works in Chrome but no trails.

However in saying that I wish I hadn't seen it in the first place as it makes dire viewing.

We're in for a lot of pain.

Anonymous said...

I am also using Firefox (latest version), and it works perfecly, including trails.

craigs clock said...

very pretty, looks like a flower.

Vodka drinker said...

Flower?

Electro-Kevin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Electro-Kevin said...

No trail for me either.

Windows 7 & Google.

Alice Cook said...

To make the trail work, you need to click on the first data point. You also need to have the trailer box ticked.

Anonymous said...

Great chart - what it shows is that during the last three years, inflation has increased with no fall in unemployment.

The Phillips curve is vertical.....

Electro-Kevin said...

Got the trail.

Nothing on the EU vote, Bubble ?

Whaddyathink ?

We're all interested.

Alice Cook said...

Kevin,

The EU referendum?

We are only at the beginning of a very long struggle. It is a question that will not go away.

Alice