---
entity_slug: agricultural_market_access_gradient
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T00:28:01.339489'
overall_score: 4.2
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly articulates a specific concept about how proximity
    to trade infrastructure and institutional barriers create systematic variations
    in market access. It avoids circularity and captures a distinct economic phenomenon
    rather than a vague umbrella term.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This concept aligns well with Smith's analysis in Book III, Chapter 2,
    where he examines how geographical and institutional factors affected regional
    economic development in medieval Europe. The entity accurately reflects Smith's
    discussion of how market access determined commercial development patterns.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The "Exchange" domain is perfectly appropriate since this concept fundamentally
    concerns how goods and services reach markets and the barriers/facilitators to
    trade relationships. The gradient directly affects the mechanics of exchange between
    regions.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 3.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity has some relevance to S4 (intelligence/environmental adaptation)
    as it describes how economic systems respond to geographical and institutional
    environments, but it's more of a structural condition than an active VSM component.
    It's somewhat abstract for direct VSM mapping.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides excellent explanatory power by illuminating the
    structural mechanism behind regional economic disparities in Smith's analysis.
    It explains why certain areas developed commercially while others remained subsistence-based,
    revealing the underlying logic of uneven development.
---

# Evaluation: Agricultural Market Access Gradient

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly articulates a specific concept about how proximity to trade infrastructure and institutional barriers create systematic variations in market access. It avoids circularity and captures a distinct economic phenomenon rather than a vague umbrella term.

## source_grounding — 4.0 / 5.0

This concept aligns well with Smith's analysis in Book III, Chapter 2, where he examines how geographical and institutional factors affected regional economic development in medieval Europe. The entity accurately reflects Smith's discussion of how market access determined commercial development patterns.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

The "Exchange" domain is perfectly appropriate since this concept fundamentally concerns how goods and services reach markets and the barriers/facilitators to trade relationships. The gradient directly affects the mechanics of exchange between regions.

## vsm_relevance — 3.0 / 5.0

This entity has some relevance to S4 (intelligence/environmental adaptation) as it describes how economic systems respond to geographical and institutional environments, but it's more of a structural condition than an active VSM component. It's somewhat abstract for direct VSM mapping.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity provides excellent explanatory power by illuminating the structural mechanism behind regional economic disparities in Smith's analysis. It explains why certain areas developed commercially while others remained subsistence-based, revealing the underlying logic of uneven development.
