There is a tendency to focus on developed nations as the predominant factors in world economics.  Yet this key set reveals the dangers inherent in overlooking the vital roles played by developing nations: for example, author Latham suggests that the Great Depression was heavily influenced by the developing nations on the African and Asian continents, and that the economic progress experienced in the 1920's caused an overproduction of foodstuffs and raw materials which tipped the world into a depression.