Level of analysis
Level of analysis is used in the
Level of analysis vs unit of analysis
Level of analysis is closely related to the term unit of analysis, and some scholars have used them interchangingly, while others argue for a need for distinction.[2] Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev wrote that "the level of analysis is more of an issue related to the framework/context of analysis and the level at which one conducts one's analysis, whereas the question of the unit of analysis is a matter of the 'actor' or the 'entity' to be studied".[2] Manasseh Wepundi noted the difference between "the unit of analysis, that is the phenomenon about which generalizations are to be made, that which each 'case' in the data file represents and the level of analysis, that is, the manner in which the units of analysis can be arrayed on a continuum from the very small (micro) to very large (macro) levels."[3]
Analytical levels in social science
Although levels of analysis are not necessarily
Micro level
The smallest unit of analysis in the
- stateless person, asylum seeker, refugee
- Person
- Citizen
- Partnership, marriage
- Families
- Household
- Neighborhood
Meso level
In general, a meso-level analysis indicates a
Macro level
Macro-level analyses generally trace the outcomes of interactions, such as
Level of analysis in cognitive science
Marr's tri-level hypothesis
According to David Marr, information processing systems must be understood at three distinct yet complementary levels of analysis – an analysis at one level alone is not sufficient.[4][5]
Computational
The computational level of analysis identifies what the information processing system does (e.g.: what problems does it solve or overcome) and similarly, why does it do these things.
Algorithmic/representational
The algorithmic/representational level of analysis identifies how the information processing system performs its computations, specifically, what representations are used and what processes are employed to build and manipulate the representations.
Physical/implementation
The physical level of analysis identifies how the information processing system is physically realized (in the case of biological vision, what neural structures and neuronal activities implement the visual system).
Poggio's learning level
After thirty years of the book Vision (David Marr. 1982. W. H. Freeman and Company), Tomaso Poggio added one higher level beyond the computational level, that is the learning.
I am not sure that Marr would agree, but I am tempted to add learning as the very top level of understanding, above the computational level. [...] Only then may we be able to build intelligent machines that could learn to see—and think—without the need to be programmed to do it.
— Tomaso Poggio, Vision (David Marr. 2010. The MIT Press), Afterword, P.367
Level of analysis in international relations
In international relations, level of analysis is generally divided into three categories – individual, state, and international system. However, newer discussions of globalization have led to a newer level of analysis to be considered.
The framework of analysis originated from K. Waltz's 1959 book entitled Man, the State, and War. An examination is J. Singer's "The Level-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations" (1961).[6] While the framework is widely discussed, not many scholarly articles use it. Two writings may shed light on its advantages and disadvantages: M. Brawley's 2005 case studies of international economic relations[7] and S. Hu's 2015 analysis of small states' diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.[8]
The three (or four) levels of analysis cannot describe every effect and there is unlimited number of levels between the three primary ones, levels of analysis will help understand how one force in
Individual level
The individual level of analysis locates the cause of events in individual leaders or the immediate circle of decision makers within a particular country. It focuses on human actors on the world stage identifying the characteristics of human decision making.
Domestic/state level
The domestic level of analysis locates causes in the character of the domestic system of specific states. Thus, war is caused by aggressive or warlike states, not by evil, inept, or misguided people or the structure of power in the international system. The failure of domestic institutions may also cause war.
The
Systemic level
The systemic level of analysis explains outcomes from a system wide level that includes all states. It seeks explanations for international phenomena by considering the nature or structure of the international political system at the period under study.[9] It takes into account both the position of states in the international system and their interrelationships. The position of states constitutes the systemic structural level of analysis. This involves the relative distribution of power, such as which state; great, middle, or small power, and geopolitics; such as which state is sea or land power. The interaction of states constitutes the systemic process level of analysis. At this level, we are concerned with which state aligns with which other states and which state negotiates with which other states. Thus, we can explain World War I in terms of the absence of system wide institutions, such as League of Nations, which was not created until after World War I to prevent such wars in the future. However, system wide institution does not always mean harmony among nations, as seen in the World War II. The cause of World War II is seen as the failure of a systemic institution, which led new institutions of the United Nations to carry on reformed legacy of the League of Nations.[11]
Global level
Global level factors are much like Systemic level factors, however the core difference is that global factors are not necessarily created by states, whereas systemic factors are. Global factors can be the outcome of individuals, interest groups, states, nonstate actors or even natural conditions – however they cannot be traced to the actions of any one state or even group of states. An example can be how the internet can shape how policy is formed, through social media or forums – where an idea is formed over time by a group of individuals, but the source is generally hard to determine. An environmental natural example is how global warming can help shape how society views certain policies, or help shape new policies themselves. Droughts caused by rising temperatures can cause global actors to form alliances to help procure critical resources – and as writers such as Peter Gleik and Michael Klare have shown, the possibility of "Water Wars" in dry countries in Africa and the Middle East are very possible.[12]
See also
- Abstraction (sociology)
- Boundary problem (spatial analysis)
- Four causes
- High- and low-level
- Integrative level
- Self-categorization theory § Levels of abstraction
- Social groups
- Social network
- Spatial scale
- Statistical unit
- Tinbergen's four questions
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-07-005752-4
- ^ S2CID 146149320.
- ISBN 978-9966-7200-5-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7167-1567-2.
- )
- ^ Singer, J. (1961). "The Level-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations". World Politics, 14(1), 77–92.
- ^ Brawley, M. (2005). Power, Money, and Trade: Decisions that Shape Global Economic Relations. Toronto: UTP.
- ^ Hu, S. (2015). "Small State Foreign Policy: The Diplomatic Recognition of Taiwan". China: An International Journal, 13(2), 1–23.
- ^ a b c d Henry R. Nau, Perspectives on International Relations (2012)
- ^ John T. Rowrke. International Politics on the World Stage, 10th edition.
- ^ McGraw Hill. Introduction to International Business, 8th edition.
- ^ Oxford University Press. Introduction to Global Politics, Third edition.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-534-62029-9.
- Fisher et al. (2018) "Lack of group-to-individual generalizability is a threat to human subjects research". PNAS, 115(27): 6106–6115.
- Jepperson, Ronald and John W. Meyer (2011). "Multiple Levels of Analysis and the Limitations of Methodological Individualisms". Sociological Theory, 29(1): 54–73.
External links
- Rourke, John T. (2005). "Levels of analysis", from International Politics on the World Stage, (10th ed.)
- Megas, Achilleas (2008). "The Level Analysis Meta-theoretical Problem: International Studies Assessment". Third International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.