How is this for a new idea? States that have more squiggly borders, on the whole, have more stability and cohesion. States that have harsh, arbitrary ruler-drawn line borders have a terrible tendency toward internecine warfare. Any student of African politics knows something about this, but perhaps for the first time, economists have tried to quantify this.

Via RealClearPolitics, I found the intriguing new essay by Bloomberg’s Amity Schlaes describing the findings for this new idea that’s well worth a click.