• In terms of the production possibilities analysis, this means that the production possibilities frontier is shrinking closer to the origin, causing it to bump down against the aggregate demand. The end result is inflation.


• In the aggregate market analysis, aggregate supply decreases to less than aggregate demand creating economy-wide shortages. As with any market shortages, the price (price level) rises. The end result is inflation.

• In particular, wages paid to labor generally account for about two-thirds of the cost of producing output. Almost any general increase in wages surface as a substantial, economy-wide, increase in production cost. If workers, in total, receive higher wages, then production cost increases, and cost-push inflation is triggered.


• A similar argument can be made for certain raw material inputs coming from the land, most notably petroleum. Unlike most other materials, petroleum plays an integral role in virtually every good or service produced in the economy, either as a direct material input or as an energy source. Because it is such a pervasive input, any increase in the price of petroleum translates into higher economy-wide production cost, triggering cost-push inflation.

Like demand-pull inflation, cost-push inflation can be sustained only if the economy has more MONEY available. Higher wages or petroleum prices might temporarily cause higher production cost, higher prices, and inflation, but if the buyers do not have the MONEY, then those prices will NOT remain high and inflation will not persist.