Book & Disk. In modern economics, inflation refers to the increase in the general level of prices of a given kind. General inflation is caused by a fall in the market value or purchasing power of money within an economy, as compared to currency devaluation which is the fall of the market value of a currency between economies. General inflation is referred to as a rise in the general level of prices. The former applies to the value of the currency within the national region of use, whereas the latter applies to the external value on international markets. The extent to which these two phenomena are related is open to economic debate. Inflation may also be caused by supply disruptions. For example, climatic changes may cause crop failures, pushing up food prices, or a war or another natural disaster may restrict the supply of crude oil, thus pushing up energy prices. These events may cause inflation within the modern meaning of the word, but are not the result of a fall in the value of the currency. This book presents new and important research on inflation.