The term "level of analysis"
points to the location, size, or scale of a research target. Analogous terms
used in the social sciences, include "unit of analysis" and "social unit". For
example, in the area of International relations, in Man, State and War, Kenneth
N. Waltz creates a tripartite analysis with three different levels of analysis:
the man (individual), the state (a group), and war (macro-level in the social
system in which groups interact). "Level of analysis" is distinct from the term
"unit of observation" or "unit of measurement" in that the former refers to a
more or less integrated set of relationships while the latter refer to the
distinct unit from which data have been or will be gathered. Together, the unit
of observation and the level of analysis define the population of a research
enterprise.