---
entity_slug: economic_spatial_organisation
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T05:11:47.944742'
overall_score: 4.2
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly identifies a distinct concept - the spatial distribution
    of economic activities based on specific factors (market access, transportation
    costs, division of labour). It avoids circularity and captures something more
    precise than a vague umbrella term, though it could be slightly more specific
    about the mechanisms.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity is strongly grounded in Smith's actual analysis from Book
    I, Chapter 3, where he explicitly discusses how economic activities cluster along
    coasts and rivers, how specialisation relates to market proximity, and how isolation
    leads to economic backwardness. The context directly references these spatial
    patterns from the source text.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: '"General Theory" is the appropriate domain placement as this concept
    represents a fundamental theoretical principle about how economic systems organize
    spatially. It''s not a specific mechanism or policy but rather a broad organizing
    principle that underlies Smith''s economic geography.'
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 3.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity has moderate VSM relevance, potentially mapping to S1 (as
    it describes how primary economic operations are distributed) and S4 (as spatial
    organization reflects adaptation to environmental constraints like geography and
    transportation). However, it's somewhat abstract and doesn't clearly belong to
    a single VSM system.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides genuine explanatory power by illuminating how geographical
    factors and market forces create systematic patterns of economic development and
    specialization. It reveals structural relationships between space, transportation,
    and economic organization rather than merely naming a surface phenomenon.
---

# Evaluation: Economic Spatial Organisation

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly identifies a distinct concept - the spatial distribution of economic activities based on specific factors (market access, transportation costs, division of labour). It avoids circularity and captures something more precise than a vague umbrella term, though it could be slightly more specific about the mechanisms.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity is strongly grounded in Smith's actual analysis from Book I, Chapter 3, where he explicitly discusses how economic activities cluster along coasts and rivers, how specialisation relates to market proximity, and how isolation leads to economic backwardness. The context directly references these spatial patterns from the source text.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

"General Theory" is the appropriate domain placement as this concept represents a fundamental theoretical principle about how economic systems organize spatially. It's not a specific mechanism or policy but rather a broad organizing principle that underlies Smith's economic geography.

## vsm_relevance — 3.0 / 5.0

This entity has moderate VSM relevance, potentially mapping to S1 (as it describes how primary economic operations are distributed) and S4 (as spatial organization reflects adaptation to environmental constraints like geography and transportation). However, it's somewhat abstract and doesn't clearly belong to a single VSM system.

## explanatory_value — 4.0 / 5.0

This entity provides genuine explanatory power by illuminating how geographical factors and market forces create systematic patterns of economic development and specialization. It reveals structural relationships between space, transportation, and economic organization rather than merely naming a surface phenomenon.
