---
entity_slug: settlement_laws
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T06:21:14.156094'
overall_score: 4.8
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition is highly precise and specific, clearly describing settlement
    laws as legal provisions requiring official parish settlement before residence,
    with explicit mention of their barrier effects on labor mobility. It captures
    a distinct regulatory mechanism rather than a vague concept.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter
    10, where he extensively discusses settlement laws as obstacles to labor circulation
    and criticizes them as harmful English regulations. The characterization aligns
    closely with Smith's actual arguments about these laws preventing natural wage
    adjustments.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The "Regulation" domain is perfectly appropriate, as settlement laws
    are explicitly legal/regulatory mechanisms that constrain market operations. This
    represents a clear case of government regulation interfering with natural economic
    processes.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: Settlement laws map well to S3 (internal regulation) as they represent
    regulatory constraints on system operations, and also connect to S2 (coordination)
    since they disrupt the natural coordination mechanism of labor mobility. The regulatory
    nature gives it clear VSM relevance rather than being abstract.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides excellent explanatory power by illuminating a specific
    mechanism through which government regulation distorts labor markets and prevents
    efficient resource allocation. It demonstrates how legal structures can create
    structural barriers to the natural functioning of economic systems.
---

# Evaluation: Settlement Laws

## definition_precision — 5.0 / 5.0

The definition is highly precise and specific, clearly describing settlement laws as legal provisions requiring official parish settlement before residence, with explicit mention of their barrier effects on labor mobility. It captures a distinct regulatory mechanism rather than a vague concept.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter 10, where he extensively discusses settlement laws as obstacles to labor circulation and criticizes them as harmful English regulations. The characterization aligns closely with Smith's actual arguments about these laws preventing natural wage adjustments.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

The "Regulation" domain is perfectly appropriate, as settlement laws are explicitly legal/regulatory mechanisms that constrain market operations. This represents a clear case of government regulation interfering with natural economic processes.

## vsm_relevance — 4.0 / 5.0

Settlement laws map well to S3 (internal regulation) as they represent regulatory constraints on system operations, and also connect to S2 (coordination) since they disrupt the natural coordination mechanism of labor mobility. The regulatory nature gives it clear VSM relevance rather than being abstract.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity provides excellent explanatory power by illuminating a specific mechanism through which government regulation distorts labor markets and prevents efficient resource allocation. It demonstrates how legal structures can create structural barriers to the natural functioning of economic systems.
