Much social and behavioral research involves hierarchical data structures. The effects of school characteristics on students, how differences in government policies from country to country influence demographic relations within them, and how individuals exposed to different environmental conditions develop over time are a few examples. This introductory text explicates the theory and use of hierarchical linear models through rich illustrative examples and lucid explanations.
"No other introductory text on hierarchial or multilevel models attempts to take the reader through a carefully structured set of examples, and so this book is certainly welcome. . . . I would recommend it to those who would like an introduction to the topic and a glimpse of some of the potential power of multilevel models."
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Journal of the American Statistical Association)