  We introduce a new scheme to analyze the kinetics of homogeneous nucleation
in terms of a global order parameter. Our approach is based on the application
of the internal degrees of freedom formalism to derive a kinetic equation of
the Kramers type formulated for a global reaction coordinate. We provide
explicit expressions for the quantities and coefficients involved in the
process, suitable for simulation.
  In addition, our picture recovers in the quasi-stationary case the transition
rate obtained from the method of reactive flux. The equation we present may
provide a link between theoretical approaches to homogeneous nucleation
(generally formulated in terms of a kinetic equation of the Fokker-Planck type)
and simulations (which mostly employ linear response theory). In this context,
our scheme provides a theoretical framework to interpret and extend the results
obtained in recent simulations.
