Anomie en inflatie: Een commentaar op een artikel van T. Huppes

Samenvatting

It is argued that T. Huppes, in "Anomie en Inflation" ([Anomy and Inflation] see SA 26:4/78J4579) ignores recent developments in economic theory & only presents a caricature of the neoclassical theory. He confuses equilibrium & static situation. Inflation can be explained in a model of full competition, & imperfect competition need not lead to inflation. Huppes's social theory is an exchange theory. This is the social equivalent of the neoclassical theory in economics. It is surprising that he should adopt it after having so strongly criticized neoclassical economics. Even if there is a theoretical reason for believing that prices & norms are related, why should it be assumed that price increase is correlated with norms decrease? The anomy-inflation hypothesis is formulated differently in different places. This makes it more difficult to determine exactly how to test this hypothesis. It is even possible that anomy & inflation are linked by definition in such a way as to make testing irrelevant. Finally, it is noted that the correlations presented between anomy & inflation fail on two counts: (1) according to Huppes's statement of his hypothesis, increased anomy should be correlated with an increase in the rate of inflation, & (2) the same correlations could have been found for any such series. In You Can Bring a Horse to the Water, but You Cannot Make It Drink. Repliek aan K. Groenveld en B. S. Wilpstra (You Can Bring a Horse to the Water but You Cannot Make it Drink. Reply to K. Groenveld and B. S. Wilpstra), T. Huppes (Groningen U, Netherlands) states that a relation between anomy & inflation might be shown to exist, proceeding from an interdisciplinary conception of society. In this approach, several key concepts of economics & sociology are united. Prices & norms, for instance, figure as similar phenomena, both restricting alternative modes of behavior in the quest for satisfaction of wants. It is particularly the process of accelerated social change, so distinctive a feature of modern western society, that causes both prices & norms to lose their regulating function. Findings supporting the hypothesis that anomy & inflation are related phenomena are cited from Huppes's previous article. Modified AA.