---
entity_slug: market_integration_barriers
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T05:45:52.816354'
overall_score: 4.2
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly distinguishes between natural, political, and
    infrastructural barriers that prevent market unification. It avoids circularity
    and captures a distinct economic concept with specific categories.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter
    3, with specific examples cited including the frozen ocean in Tartary, African
    river distances, and political control over waterways. These are concrete textual
    references rather than interpretive additions.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 3.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: While "Regulation" captures the political barriers aspect, it misses
    the natural and infrastructural elements that are equally important to Smith's
    analysis. A broader domain like "Market Structure" or "Trade Conditions" might
    be more appropriate.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity maps well to S4 (intelligence/environmental adaptation) as
    it concerns how economic systems adapt to environmental constraints and gather
    information across geographic boundaries. It also relates to S2 (coordination)
    regarding how barriers affect system-wide coordination.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: "This entity illuminates a fundamental mechanism in Smith's theory\u2014\
    how physical and institutional barriers shape market development and economic\
    \ integration. It explains structural relations between geography, politics, and\
    \ economic outcomes rather than merely naming a surface phenomenon."
---

# Evaluation: Market Integration Barriers

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly distinguishes between natural, political, and infrastructural barriers that prevent market unification. It avoids circularity and captures a distinct economic concept with specific categories.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

The entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter 3, with specific examples cited including the frozen ocean in Tartary, African river distances, and political control over waterways. These are concrete textual references rather than interpretive additions.

## domain_placement — 3.0 / 5.0

While "Regulation" captures the political barriers aspect, it misses the natural and infrastructural elements that are equally important to Smith's analysis. A broader domain like "Market Structure" or "Trade Conditions" might be more appropriate.

## vsm_relevance — 4.0 / 5.0

This entity maps well to S4 (intelligence/environmental adaptation) as it concerns how economic systems adapt to environmental constraints and gather information across geographic boundaries. It also relates to S2 (coordination) regarding how barriers affect system-wide coordination.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity illuminates a fundamental mechanism in Smith's theory—how physical and institutional barriers shape market development and economic integration. It explains structural relations between geography, politics, and economic outcomes rather than merely naming a surface phenomenon.
