No longer just a relic of the Great Depression, deflation has been established in China and Japan since the 1990s and currently threatens other major economies such as Germany and even the United States. This volume considers why deflation may be worse than inflation and explores how individuals and policymakers have responded to the phenomenon. Monetary and exchange rate regimes as well as stock market reactions play an important part in advancing, or slowing, deflationary trends. The book's coverage ranges from the late nineteenth century to the present day.