Modelling price determination in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa has been faced with high inflation rates since the early 1970s. Despite continued monetary discipline the inflation target has not yet been met, highlighting South Africa's price-vulnerability as a small open emerging economy and raising questions about the efficiency of monetary policy. The objectives of this paper are: (i) to analyse the influence of monetary policy on inflation in the small open emerging economy of South Africa, (ii) to highlight the channels other than monetary policy through which inflation can be influenced (iii) to analyse the influence of international prices and the exchange rate on inflation, (iv) to determine the role of the labour market on inflation, especially through wage-push dynamics and (v) to determine the role of demand-pull factors on inflation.