Global value chains and inflation: how imported inputs shape UK prices

Aydan Dogan, Melih Firat and Aditya Soenarjo

How does the use of imported inputs in production affect inflation dynamics in the UK? Over the past few decades, with the rise of global value chains (GVCs), production processes have become increasingly interlinked across countries and sectors. This interconnection means that firms’ pricing decisions are now more influenced by foreign factors. The importance of globalisation in shaping inflation dynamics was highlighted during the supply-chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 crisis. In a recent paper, we explore the impact of the rising share of imported intermediate goods on the UK Phillips curve. We show that UK industries with higher shares of intermediate imports from emerging market economies (EMEs) have flatter Phillips curves.

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A LOOPy model of inflation

Alex Tuckett

The Law of One Price (LOOP) is an old idea in economics. LOOP states that the same product should cost the same in different places, expressed in the same currency. The intuition is that arbitrage (buying a product where it is cheap and selling it where it is expensive) should bring prices back into line. Can LOOP help us understand UK inflation? Yes. I find EU prices have much higher explanatory power for UK prices than domestic cost pressures, and the effects of exchange rate changes last longer, but build more slowly than commonly assumed.

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