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# Political Economy

## Definition

The branch of science that addresses the dual objectives of enabling a people to provide a plentiful revenue or subsistence for themselves, and supplying the state or commonwealth with sufficient revenue for public services. It encompasses both the enrichment of the people and the sovereign through systematic study of commercial and agricultural systems.

## Source Chapter

Book IV, Chapter 0

## Context

The introduction to Book IV establishes the foundational purpose of political economy as a discipline, distinguishing it from other branches of science and identifying its two distinct objects: the provision of subsistence for the people and the generation of public revenue. Smith frames this as the science of the statesman or legislator.

## Economic Domain

General Theory

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