Economic Development and Export Growth: A Study of Northern Rhodesia, 1920-1960 explores the economic history of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) during the colonial period, focusing on the key role of export growth in the region's development. Conducted under the Ford Foundation’s Foreign Area Training Fellowship, the research primarily took place between 1960 and 1961, with an additional visit in 1962. The study examines the transformation of Northern Rhodesia’s economy from the 1920s through the 1960s, before the country gained political independence in 1964 and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved.

While the book does not address the post-independence economic changes, it provides a detailed analysis of the period leading up to Zambia's independence. It outlines the impact of the export-driven economy, driven largely by the copper industry, on the region's development and its relationship with colonial structures. The author acknowledges the historical and political context of the time but refrains from incorporating recent political shifts, as the full effects of the newly independent government’s policies are yet to be understood. The study offers valuable insight into the economic history of Zambia, highlighting the role of export growth in shaping the country's economic landscape before independence.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.