<i>Ask HN: What can startups do to increase prosperity for everyone?</i>...<i>but decreasing the cost of living as well</i>.<p>I note decreasing the cost of living is by definition <i>deflation</i>. Preventing <i>deflation</i> is an explicit objective of central banks around the world.<p>I think there are gaps in our economic knowledge. There are different types of deflation, such as deflation through technology, deflation through a economy restructuring itself, deflation through cyclical unemployment. Central banks don&#x27;t differentiate between them, and do all they can to prevent all of them from happening. It&#x27;s like taking immune system suppressants because the white blood cell count is high, no matter the situation, even when it&#x27;s high because you&#x27;ve got a cold.<p>Therefore, I think startups that can be involved in increasing our knowledge of the economics can increase prosperity for everyone, so central banks don&#x27;t perform actions that prevent people from becoming prosperous.