---
entity_slug: sovereign_dignity_expenses
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T06:22:49.669265'
overall_score: 4.2
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly distinguishes sovereign dignity expenses as ceremonial
    costs that scale with societal wealth, separate from functional government operations.
    It avoids circularity and captures a specific category of public expenditure with
    clear characteristics.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This concept is directly grounded in Smith's discussion of the fourth
    category of sovereign expenses in Book V, Chapter 1, where he explicitly addresses
    the costs of maintaining royal dignity and ceremonial functions. Smith discusses
    how these expenses increase with national wealth and luxury standards.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The "Regulation" domain is appropriate as this represents a category
    of public finance and government expenditure that Smith analyzes as part of his
    systematic treatment of state functions. It fits naturally within his framework
    of necessary public expenses.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 3.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity has moderate VSM relevance, primarily mapping to S5 (identity/policy)
    as it concerns the symbolic representation and identity of the state system. However,
    it's somewhat peripheral to core VSM operational concerns, being more about ceremonial
    legitimacy than functional viability.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The entity illuminates an important structural relationship between societal
    wealth and the costs of political legitimacy through ceremonial display. It reveals
    how sovereign expenses are not fixed but dynamically linked to economic development
    and social expectations of status.
---

# Evaluation: Sovereign Dignity Expenses

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly distinguishes sovereign dignity expenses as ceremonial costs that scale with societal wealth, separate from functional government operations. It avoids circularity and captures a specific category of public expenditure with clear characteristics.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This concept is directly grounded in Smith's discussion of the fourth category of sovereign expenses in Book V, Chapter 1, where he explicitly addresses the costs of maintaining royal dignity and ceremonial functions. Smith discusses how these expenses increase with national wealth and luxury standards.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

The "Regulation" domain is appropriate as this represents a category of public finance and government expenditure that Smith analyzes as part of his systematic treatment of state functions. It fits naturally within his framework of necessary public expenses.

## vsm_relevance — 3.0 / 5.0

This entity has moderate VSM relevance, primarily mapping to S5 (identity/policy) as it concerns the symbolic representation and identity of the state system. However, it's somewhat peripheral to core VSM operational concerns, being more about ceremonial legitimacy than functional viability.

## explanatory_value — 4.0 / 5.0

The entity illuminates an important structural relationship between societal wealth and the costs of political legitimacy through ceremonial display. It reveals how sovereign expenses are not fixed but dynamically linked to economic development and social expectations of status.
