a. Criteria for Micro, Middle, and Macro-Level Scales

a. Criteria for Micro, Middle, and Macro-Level Scales

More specifically, the meaning of the three-level scale of political phenomena can be summarized in the following [Tab.2.6].

 

[Tab.2.6] The Three-Level Scale (Three-Perspective) of Political Phenomena

Three-Level Scale	Spatial Scope	Temporal Scope
㉠ Micro-level	Scope that can be directly observed and heard	"Immediate" scope
㉡ Middle-level	Scope directly affected by cause and effect relationship	"For a while" scope
㉢ Macro-level	The total scope of direct and indirect influences	"Long-term" scope

 

The Three-Level Scale of political phenomena can vary depending on the purpose and perspective of understanding, but it can be specifically set within the spatiotemporal scope as shown in [Tab.2.6]. This is often referred to as "perspective," such as "micro-level perspective" or "macro-level perspective." For example, let's examine the phenomenon related to the decline in agricultural commodity prices in the United States in 1880.

 

American farmers expressed frustration with issues such as unequal freight rates, high interest rates, and inappropriate currency in response to the decline in agricultural prices. Spatially, this was within the range that farmers could directly observe and act on, and temporally, it was something they could immediately do, so it is a micro-level event.

 

However, the primary cause of the decline in agricultural commodity prices was the overproduction of agricultural products globally in the early 1880s. This had a direct causal effect on the micro-level phenomenon, and the overproduction of agricultural products was a phenomenon that lasted for a while and its aftermath also persisted for a while, making it a middle-level event.

 

Looking more broadly, the changes in the international economic environment surrounding the United States also had a significant impact on the decline in agricultural commodity prices at the time. Between 1865 and 1900, agricultural production increased drama- tically in many places including the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and others. At the same time, the modern form of communication and transportation systems such as telephones, telegrams, steam engines, and railroads emerged, creating a new form of agricultural market worldwide. This was a process that took place over a long period of time and included all direct and indirect causal factors for the middle-level phenomenon, making it a macro-level phenomenon.

 

According to the description in Table 2.6 regarding the micro, middle, and macro levels of scale, a general three-level scale division is possible, but more specific criteria for division can also be considered. This is reflected in the content of [Tab.2.7].

 

[Tab.2.7] Spatiotemporal Criteria for Three Levels of Political Phenomena

Spatial Scope	Individual		Organization
㉠ micro-level	10 ㎡	1 hour~1 week (1 month)	1 ㎢	1 day - 3 months (1 year)
㉡ middle-level	Living area (School, neighborhood)	1 month-3 years (10 years)	Nation	1 year - 10 years (30 years)
㉢ macro-level	Lifetime sphere (city, nation)	10 years-30 years (100 years)	World	30 years - 200 years (500 years)

※ Note: The content within the parentheses indicates the upper limit. For example, the middle-level temporal range for an individual means within 10 years.

 

Individuals come together to form a social organization and the social organization in turn constitutes a larger political organization. As a result, the triplicity of choice situation in politics at the individual level and the triplicity of choice situation in politics at the organizational level are integrated in a multi-layer structure. This is an important cause of making the political situation complex. In other words, the simple political laws that act on each three-level scale at the individual level and the simple political laws that act on each three-level scale at the organizational level act simultaneously at almost every point. To put it in a metaphor, it is like the movement of the moon around the Earth, which becomes complicated when analyzed from the sun's point of reference. The movement of the Earth around the sun is simple, and the movement of the moon around the Earth is also simple, but when these two quantums are combined, they become complicated.