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Phillips Curve

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Definition of 'Phillips Curve'

An economic concept developed by A. W. Phillips stating that inflation and unemployment have a stable and inverse relationship. According to the Phillips curve, the lower an economy's rate of unemployment, the more rapidly wages paid to labor increase in that economy.

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Investopedia explains 'Phillips Curve'

The theory states that with economic growth comes inflation, which in turn should lead to more jobs and less unemployment. However, the original concept has been somewhat disproven empirically due to the occurrence of stagflation in the 1970s, when there were high levels of both inflation and unemployment.

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