This a rather knotty area. What we're attempting is to assign priorities such that some human processes contributing to natural imbalances have to be curtailed as fast as possible, while others can be phased in.
A crude example of this is given in Chapter 6 of Compression (about p. 238). This problem needs a great deal of study and refinement, especially if considered as a method to help people in conflict enter a dialog to resolve deeply held differences.