本文用經濟分析的方法，剖析國家（與他國）合併或獨立後的客觀結果，再進一步探討上述客觀結果如何與主觀意願結合，建構一個國家分合決策的理性分析架構。本文也引用Arrow不可能定理中之部份證明，解說國家認同決策不能以個人偏好凌越社會偏好。

We first point out the objective consequences of a country's inde­pendence or unification (with another country) decision, and then show how to combine these objective consequences with individual subjective preferences to set up a framework of rational decision making. We also use part of the proof of Arrow's impossibility theorem to explain why a country's unification or independence decision cannot be dominated by one person.