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Incomes policy

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scale from the demise of the French economy. However, in practice, the law ultimately targeted local shopkeepers, butchers, bakers, and farmers-the merchants who were profiting the least from the economic crisis. With the General Maximum, Robespierre offered the people an answer regarding whom to blame for their poverty and their hunger. Furthermore, considering its association with the
57:. Peacetime income policies were resorted to in the U.S. in August 1971 as a response to inflation. The wage and price controls were effective initially but were made less restrictive in January 1973, and later removed when they seemed to be having no effect on curbing inflation. Incomes policies were successful in the 218:
By creating the General Maximum, Robespierre shifted the attention of the French people away from government involvement in widespread shortages of money and food to a fight between consumers and merchants. The text of the General Maximum was written towards businessmen who were profiting on a large
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The 90-day freeze became nearly 1,000 days of measures known as Phases One, Two, Three, and Four, ending in 1973. In these phases, the controls were applied almost entirely to the biggest corporations and labor unions, which were seen as having price-setting power. However, 93% of requested price
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government. Employers were not party to the Accord. Unions agreed to restrict wage demands, and the government pledged action to minimise inflation and price rises. The government was also to act on the social wage. At its broadest, this concept included increased spending on education as well as
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The first wave of controls were successful at curbing inflation temporarily while the administration used expansionary fiscal and monetary policies. However, the long-term effects proved to be destabilizing. Left unsuppressed after the initial price controls were relaxed, the overly expansionary
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had limited success. With respect to its overt intention, that of ensuring the people were able to purchase food at a reasonable rate, the Maximum was mostly a failure. Some merchants having found themselves forced into a position to sell their goods for a price below cost (e.g. cost of baking
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of international currency management established after World War II. The 90-day freeze was unprecedented in peacetime, but such drastic measures were thought necessary. It was quite well known at the time that this would likely lead to an immediate inflationary impulse (essentially because the
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of the dollar would boost the demand for exports and increase the cost of imports). The controls aimed to stop that impulse. The fact that the election of 1972 was on the horizon likely contributed to both Nixon's application of controls and his ending of the convertibility of the dollar.
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The current polder model is said to have begun with the Wassenaar Accords of 1982 when unions, employers and government decided on a comprehensive plan to revitalize the economy involving shorter working times and less pay on the one hand, and more employment on the other.
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Incomes policies vary from "voluntary" wage and price guidelines to mandatory controls like price/wage freezes. One variant is "tax-based incomes policies" (TIPs), where a government fee is imposed on those firms that raise prices and/or wages more than the controls allow.
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imposed price controls on August 15, 1971. This was a move widely applauded by the public and a number of Keynesian economists. The same day, Nixon also suspended the convertibility of the dollar into gold, which was the beginning of the end of the
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power, some economists saw controls as possibly working effectively (though they are usually skeptical on the issue of controls). Because controls of this sort can calm inflationary expectations, this was seen as a serious blow against
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Inflation declined during the period of the Accord, which was renegotiated several times. However, many of the key elements of the Accord were weakened over time, as unions sought a shift from centralised wage fixation to
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for enforcement. That happened in the United States during the early 1970s. When the price of a good is lowered artificially, it creates less supply and more demand for the product, thereby creating shortages.
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policies proceeded to exacerbate inflationary pressures. Meat also began disappearing from grocery store shelves and Americans protested wage controls that didn't allow wages to keep up with inflation.
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in 1975. This act contained wage and price controls on parts of the economy and remained in force until 1978. In 1979 the anti-inflation board was dissolved and the Anti-Inflation Act repealed.
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imposed a simultaneous freeze on wages, prices and interest rates in an effort to curb inflation, despite public resistance. These measures were subsequently repealed by Muldoon's successor
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as a way of fighting inflation, at least for mild inflation. Others argue that controls and mild recessions can be complementary solutions for relatively mild inflation.
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In the early 1970s, inflation had been much higher than in previous decades, getting above 6% briefly in 1970 and persisting above 4% in 1971. U.S. President
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prices persisted for years after 1973). During times of high inflation, controls have been called for; in 1980 during unprecedented inflation,
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imposed price controls (by penalty of death) in an unsuccessful attempt to curb inflation, and such measures were also attempted after
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Some economists agree that a credible incomes policy would help prevent inflation. However, by arbitrarily interfering with
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Italy imitated the United States' price and wage controls in 1971, but soon gave up the policy to focus on controlling the
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brought a return to the same inflationary pressures, and price controls were again established, this time under the OPS (
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proposed the imposition of a wage and price freeze on the Canadian economy as a response to rising inflation due to the
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Since that time, the U.S. government has not imposed maximum prices on consumer items or labor (although the cap on
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The policy has the best chance of being credible and effective for the sectors of the economy dominated by
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in an attempt to solve the problem of inflation in the British economy by managing wages and prices. The
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The polder model is widely, but not universally, regarded as successful incomes management policy.
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was imposed in an attempt to decrease inflation. It consisted of limits on wages and
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Some economists argue that incomes policies are less expensive (more efficient) than
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The Wages of Militancy: Incomes Policy, Hegemony and the Decline of the British Left
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was originally opposed to this idea, but after winning the election, introduced the
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and declines in the quality of goods on the market and requiring large government
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for breaking this law. The law was repealed 14 months after its introduction.
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Darrow, M. "Economic Terror in the City: The General Maximum in Montauban."
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Darrow, M. "Economic Terror in the City: The General Maximum in Montauban."
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Darrow, M. "Economic Terror in the City: The General Maximum in Montauban."
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Darrow, M. "Economic Terror in the City: The General Maximum in Montauban."
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during the 1980s. The Accord was an agreement between trade unions and the
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Richard Nixon speech announcing Phase Four price controls, June 13th, 1973
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in the 1970s sought to reduce conflict over wages and prices through a "
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During the 1974 federal election, Progressive Conservative Party leader
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Incomes policies have often been resorted to during wartime. During the
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in the Netherlands is characterized by tri-partite cooperation between
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increases were granted and seen as necessary to meet costs. With such
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in the economy greatly distorting other areas, exempt from the policy.
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phenomenon, and the only way to deal with it is by controlling the
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editorialized in favor of semi-permanent wage and price controls.
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during World War II but less successful in the post-war era.
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Nixon's Wage and Price Freeze – Forty Years After the Freeze
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PBS Special Report on California Electricity Price Controls
27: 38:, and usually seeking to establish wages and prices below 981:"The Polder Model Reviewed: Dutch Corporatism 1965—2000" 119:
Other economists argue that inflation is essentially a
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and food hoarding into crimes against the government,
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http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3868
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Australia implemented an incomes policy, called the
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That policy led only to shortages. 142:. They believe that without a totally 1069: 682: 649: 643: 608: 606: 604: 602: 600: 598: 596: 594: 566: 564: 466:Comprehensive Income Policy Agreement 366:National Board for Prices and Incomes 360:National Board for Prices and Incomes 944: 877: 769: 542: 16:Economy-wide wage and price controls 13: 1043:The Wolfram Demonstrations Project 591: 561: 456:. These talks are embodied in the 14: 1424: 1095: 1032: 988:Economic and Industrial Democracy 353: 237:Franklin Roosevelt Administration 226: 1014: 972: 905: 797: 745: 689:Fiat Money: Inflation in France 342:. The Liberal government under 732: 719: 706: 683:White, Andrew Dickson (1912). 631: 489: 241:Office of Price Administration 1: 529: 249:Office of Price Stabilization 615:"Nixon Tries Price Controls" 387: 7: 913:"Wage & Price Controls" 509: 482:This model is also used in 428:The Netherlands and Belgium 153: 10: 1429: 650:Irons, John (2001-06-24). 545:"Price Controls Are Back!" 357: 205:Committee of Public Safety 127:, directly or by changing 1324: 1103: 951:How We Got Here: The '70s 884:How We Got Here: The '70s 776:How We Got Here: The '70s 753:French Historical Studies 740:French Historical Studies 727:French Historical Studies 714:French Historical Studies 394:Prices and Incomes Accord 306: 182:By turning the crimes of 158: 81:, potentially leading to 64: 1377:Public policy by country 1000:10.1177/0143831X07079351 438:employers' organizations 415: 169:"The Law of the Maximum" 51:"The Law of the Maximum" 685:"The French Revolution" 577:George Mason University 458:Social Economic Council 175:. Many dissidents were 1347:Public policy doctrine 331: 209:Maximilien Robespierre 1337:Public administration 1332:Evidence-based policy 1041:by Fiona Maclachlan, 549:Making Economic Sense 502:and Finance Minister 410:enterprise bargaining 314: 110:nationalised industry 1403:Macroeconomic policy 1352:Public policy school 1062:by William N. Walker 821:"The Nixon Recovery" 640:By David Purdy, 2006 374:Callaghan government 261:Bretton Woods system 239:instituted the OPA ( 917:The History Project 580:. 29 September 1793 79:economic efficiency 1053:2013-06-19 at the 825:The New York Times 619:Commanding Heights 543:Rothbard, Murray. 348:Anti-Inflation Act 332: 133:monetary inflation 1385: 1384: 1310: 1303: 1296: 1257: 1250: 1221: 1214: 1195: 1188: 1181: 1174: 1167: 1160: 1153: 1139: 867:978-0-313-27653-8 695:on August 8, 2008 382:Margaret Thatcher 213:French Revolution 165:French Revolution 47:French Revolution 26:are economy-wide 1420: 1408:Household income 1342:Public budgeting 1306: 1299: 1292: 1253: 1246: 1219:Renewable energy 1217: 1210: 1191: 1184: 1177: 1170: 1163: 1156: 1149: 1135: 1090: 1083: 1076: 1067: 1066: 1026: 1025: 1018: 1012: 1011: 985: 976: 970: 969: 942: 933: 932: 930: 928: 919:. Archived from 909: 903: 902: 875: 869: 850:Richard M. 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Index

economics
wage
price controls
inflation
free market
French Revolution
"The Law of the Maximum"
World War II
United Kingdom
price signals
economic efficiency
shortages
bureaucracies
recessions
monopolies
oligopolies
nationalised industry
labor unions
monetary
money supply
interest rates
monetary inflation
central bank
money creation
planned economy
money
French Revolution
"The Law of the Maximum"
food prices
executed

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