THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXTS: MULTIPLE UNITS OF ANALYSIS IN CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXTS: MULTIPLE UNITS OF ANALYSIS IN CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH

Summary/Abstract: Although researchers often treat countries as a unit of analysis in multilevel studies of ethnic, racial, and national attitudes, there has been some debate about which is the appropriate unit of analysis in such studies. Rather than limiting ourselves to one unit of analysis, we should systematically examine and compare multiple units of analysis. In this essay I offer two recommendations for improving cross-national research in nationalism, conflict, and identity. First, researchers should measure contextual variables for multiple geographic regions. Second, researchers should consider non-geographic contexts, such as occupations, in multilevel analyses. For each theoretically relevant concept, scholars should ask: For which units of analysis is it possible to measure this concept and what are the strengths and weaknesses of selecting each?

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