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# Capital Employment Security Gradient

## Definition

The spectrum of security levels associated with different forms of capital employment, ranging from land improvement (most secure) through manufacturing to foreign trade (least secure). This gradient reflects the varying degrees of control, exposure to accidents, and vulnerability to human folly and injustice that characterize different investment types.

## Source Chapter

Book III, Chapter 1

## Context

Smith uses this security gradient to explain why capital owners naturally prefer certain investments over others, demonstrating how security considerations drive the natural order of economic development and influence capital allocation decisions.

## Economic Domain

Accumulation

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