by Oded Stark

This paper looks at the integration of regions and nations through the prism of the merger of populations (societies). The paper employs a particular index of social stress. Stylized examples of the merging of two populations suggest that with integration, the social

stressindex will increase. The examples form the basis for the development of new formulas for calculating the social stress of an

integrated population as a function of the levels of social stress of the constituent populations when apart.The formulas reveal that

the social stress of an integrated population is higher than the sum of the levels of social stress of the constituent populations when apart. This raises the distinct possibility that the merging of  populations may be a social liability: integration may fail to give the

populace a sense of improved wellbeing.

The paper can be read and downloaded here.