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The term `level' is an integral feature of contemporary international relations discourse. Singer introduced levels of analysis as a methodological problem in 1961. Since then levels schemes have proliferated and talk of levels is pervasive. As formulated, the level of analysis problem is which level should we choose? With the proliferation of schemes, the problem is which scheme should we choose? This question raises others. Which scheme best represents the field? Does a field organized into levels faithfully represent the world it purports to study? Why do we even think in terms of levels? There is no simple answer to the question, which scheme? I offer instead a critical appraisal enabling us to explore all the questions that proliferating schemes bring to mind, an appraisal reaching far beyond the field and as far back as Aristotle: we are not alone in talking of levels.

This book is a unique tool providing facts, figures and analysis of economic growth in OECD countries. The analysis focuses on the growth patterns of OECD countries during the last decade and identifies the fundamental drivers of growth. It also looks at how and why countries react differently to these drivers. It examines growth at the macro-economic level, industry level and firm level and also analyses the contribution of information technology (IT) at each of these levels. Packed with over 50 tables and figures, the book provides unique data to better understand the reality of economi

The predominant strategic-relational approaches to understanding multi-level governance within the context of the European Union are explored. An overview of the general strategic-relational approach to investigating both state government & the notion of governance is presented. Competing accounts of the European Union's transformation into a regional state or political entity are then examined; specific attention is dedicated to highlighting two state-oriented accounts (liberal intergovernmentalism & supranationalism) & two governance-based models (eg, multi-level governance & network polity). Three critiques of the state-oriented & governance-based accounts are subsequently offered; whereas the former accounts naturalize the sharp division between state & society, the latter perspectives have not achieved theoretical maturity. Consequently, a strategic-relational perspective that negotiates the aforementioned approaches' shortcomings is introduced & acknowledges changes to the structure of states in advanced capitalist societies is introduced. The alternative framework's implications for future research are also contemplated. J. W. Parker

The predominant strategic-relational approaches to understanding multi-level governance within the context of the European Union are explored. An overview of the general strategic-relational approach to investigating both state government & the notion of governance is presented. Competing accounts of the European Union's transformation into a regional state or political entity are then examined; specific attention is dedicated to highlighting two state-oriented accounts (liberal intergovernmentalism & supranationalism) & two governance-based models (eg, multi-level governance & network polity). Three critiques of the state-oriented & governance-based accounts are subsequently offered; whereas the former accounts naturalize the sharp division between state & society, the latter perspectives have not achieved theoretical maturity. Consequently, a strategic-relational perspective that negotiates the aforementioned approaches' shortcomings is introduced & acknowledges changes to the structure of states in advanced capitalist societies is introduced. The alternative framework's implications for future research are also contemplated. J. W. Parker

Recent research has shown that optimal monetary policy may display considerable price-level drift. Proponents of price-level targeting have argued that the costs of eliminating the price-level drift may be reduced if the central bank responds flexibly by returning the price level only gradually to the target path (Gaspar et al., 2010). We revisit this argument in two variants of the New Keynesian model. We show that in a two-sector version of the model which allows for changes in relative prices across sectors, the costs of stabilisation under price-level targeting remain much higher than under inflation targeting for all policy-relevant horizons. Our conclusion is that extending the policy horizon is not a panacea to reduce the costs of eliminating pricelevel drift.