In the opening group of essays, Ruth Wienclaw focuses on the impact of globalization on economic development. Wienclaw peals back the layers of globalization to reveal the problems of global equality and equal opportunity in a world where developed countries use their political clout to advance their cause at the expense of weaker nations. The impact of global stratification is expanded upon in this section, which includes essays that focus on the topics of global governance, income gaps between countries, educational stratification, economic polarization, social stratification systems, and global health issues.