---
entity_slug: mercantile_jealousy
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T05:50:31.926078'
overall_score: 4.4
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly distinguishes mercantile jealousy as competitive
    hostility between merchants of different nations that leads to advocacy for protective
    measures. It avoids circularity and captures a specific behavioral pattern rather
    than a vague concept.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This concept is directly grounded in Smith's analysis in Book IV, Chapter
    3, where he explicitly discusses how merchants' competitive fears and hostilities
    toward foreign rivals drive their support for trade restrictions. Smith uses this
    psychological mechanism to explain protectionist advocacy.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The "Regulation" domain is perfectly appropriate since mercantile jealousy
    is presented as a driving force behind regulatory capture and trade restrictions.
    This psychological factor directly explains the genesis of protective regulations.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 3.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity has moderate VSM relevance, potentially mapping to S4 (intelligence/environmental
    adaptation) as it represents how economic actors perceive and respond to competitive
    threats. However, it's more of a behavioral driver than a structural system component.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides excellent explanatory power by identifying the psychological
    mechanism that connects individual merchant interests to broader protectionist
    policies. It illuminates how private competitive fears translate into public policy
    advocacy, explaining a key dynamic in Smith's critique of mercantilism.
---

# Evaluation: Mercantile Jealousy

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly distinguishes mercantile jealousy as competitive hostility between merchants of different nations that leads to advocacy for protective measures. It avoids circularity and captures a specific behavioral pattern rather than a vague concept.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This concept is directly grounded in Smith's analysis in Book IV, Chapter 3, where he explicitly discusses how merchants' competitive fears and hostilities toward foreign rivals drive their support for trade restrictions. Smith uses this psychological mechanism to explain protectionist advocacy.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

The "Regulation" domain is perfectly appropriate since mercantile jealousy is presented as a driving force behind regulatory capture and trade restrictions. This psychological factor directly explains the genesis of protective regulations.

## vsm_relevance — 3.0 / 5.0

This entity has moderate VSM relevance, potentially mapping to S4 (intelligence/environmental adaptation) as it represents how economic actors perceive and respond to competitive threats. However, it's more of a behavioral driver than a structural system component.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity provides excellent explanatory power by identifying the psychological mechanism that connects individual merchant interests to broader protectionist policies. It illuminates how private competitive fears translate into public policy advocacy, explaining a key dynamic in Smith's critique of mercantilism.