This groundbreaking work from the hugely influential economist P. T. Bauer, first published in 1954 and reissued with a new introduction in 1963, is a thorough and detailed analysis of the findings of the Colonial Economic Research Committee, from their investigation into the structure of West African Trade and especially the monopolistic tendencies inherent within it. Materials for the study were collected and analysed between 1949 and 1952, offering an invaluable insight into dominant features of contemporary West African Economies and an analysis of their implications.