Argentina’s inflation ‘miracle’ is more of a mirage

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and implications of Javier Milei's inflation policies in Argentina.

The month Javier Milei took over as president of Argentina in December 2023, monthly inflation was 25.5%. The annual rate for that year was 211%. Now, it’s plummeted to 32% – still very high, but more stable. Milei, a right-wing populist famous for wielding a chainsaw on stage to make a point about fiscal conservatism, made cutting inflation a central part of his campaign. And yet economists like Can Cinar from City St George's, University of London, warn that Milei’s battle against inflation is more of a mirage, than a miracle. In this episode, Cinar explains how Milei’s government managed to cut inflation by deliberately suppressing people’s wages, and the stark impact these policies are having on Argentinians. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with production assistance from Katie Flood. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl. Read the f ull credits for this episode and sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation , an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. Kemi Badenoch says she wants to be Britain’s Javier Milei – but is the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mend Mariwany, Gemma Ware

Guest: Can Cinar

Topics covered

• inflation
• economic policy
• Argentina
• Javier Milei
• fiscal conservatism
• wage suppression

Keywords

• inflation
• Javier Milei
• Argentina
• economic policy
• wage suppression
• fiscal conservatism
• Can Cinar

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: City St George's, University of London

Places: Argentina

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