Individual preferences can lead to unintended collective segregation.
Schelling's 1971 model showed that agents preferring merely not to be a small minority produce near-total segregation. Mild individual preference generates an outcome nobody chose.
In practice
- A conference where each attendee merely prefers not to sit alone among strangers produces tables sorted by institution within ten minutes.
- A firm where nobody is prejudiced but everyone prefers not to be the only one of something produces sorted teams within three years.