This Palgrave Pivot reviews the history of the UK's Retail Prices Index (RPI) from its origins just after the Second World War to its controversial position today. Both the developments in the methodology of the index and the political and social context in which its development took place are closely examined. The authors explain how the RPI went from being the dominant measure of inflation for decades to its current position as an officially discredited index. Despite this status, it is still widely used and attracts much support from a range of stakeholders, including several areas of government. 

Important reading for anyone interested in both sides of the argument for and against RPI and the likely way forward for the measurement of inflation.  

Jeff Ralph is a visiting academic at the University of Southampton, UK. He worked for the Office for National Statistics, UK, for 14 years, retiring in 2018. Much of that time was spent working on price statistics and the measurement of inflation; this included research and teaching. He has been joint author on a number of research papers and co-author of books on index numbers and inflation measurement.

Robert O’Neill is Lecturer in Economics at the University of Manchester, UK, where he has been since the start of 2020. Previously he was Senior Lecturer in Economics at Huddersfield University, UK and before that he worked at the Office for National Statistics. His current role involves both research and teaching related to quantitative economics, which includes teaching students at various levels.

Paul A. Smith is Professor of Official Statistics at the University of Southampton, UK. He previously worked for 25 years at the Office for NationalStatistics, UK, where he gained extensive experience in the theory and practice of sample surveys applied to businesses, households and the population census. He undertakes consultancy and research in topics related to official statistics, and coordinates the MSc in Official Statistics.