ABSTRACT
Most theory in global politics involves explaining and/or predicting actors’ behavior. This chapter continues by examining the several perspectives known as levels of analysis that theorists use to simplify their world. It examines why it is beneficial to examine global politics from different perspectives or levels of analysis and how each perspective enables the observer to see different aspects of events. Theory and methodology are sometimes confused, but the two are actually quite different. At the individual level of analysis, scholars examine the characteristics of leaders or citizens, such as personality traits, ways of reaching decisions, and beliefs. At the global level of analysis, researchers focus on structural factors such as distributions of power, wealth, and attitudes of the world as a whole. Feminist thinkers were attracted to post-positivism because of its emphasis on the role of language and identity in creating power relations.
