Virtuous circle and vicious circle |
In many parts of economics there is an assumption that a complex system of
determinants will tend to lead to a state of equilibrium. When this tendency is absent we use terms like virtuous
circle and vicious circle (or virtuous cycle and vicious cycle) to describe these unstable pattern of
events. Both circles are complexes of events with no tendency towards equilibrium (at least in the short run). Both systems of
events have feedback loops in which each iteration of the cycle reinforces the first. The difference between the two is that a
virtuous cycle has favorable results and a vicious cycle has deleterious results. These cycles will continue in the direction of
their momentum until an exogenous factor intervenes and stops the cycle. The prefix “hyper” is sometimes used to
describe these cycles. The most well known vicious circle is hyperinflation.
Hyperinflation is where a spiral of inflation causes still more inflation in
the future. The initial exogenous event might be a sudden large increase in international interest rates or a massive increase in government debt due to the
funding of a mega-project. Whatever the cause, the government could pay down some of its debt by printing more money (called
monetarizing the debt). This increase in the money supply could increase the level of inflation. In an inflationary environment,
people tend to spend their money quickly because they expect its value to decrease further in the future. They convert their
financial assets into physical assets while their money still has some purchasing power. Often they will purchase on credit. Because of this, the level of savings in the country is very low and the government
could have problems refinancing it’s debt. It’s solution could be to print still more money starting another
iteration of the vicious cycle.
Economic growth can be seen as a virtuous circle. It might start with an exogenous factor like technological innovation. As
people get familiar with the new technology, there could be learning curve effects and economies
of scale. This could lead to reduced costs and improved production
efficiencies. In a competitive market structure, this will likely
result in lower average prices. As prices decrease, consumption could increase and aggregate output also. Increased levels of
output leads to more learning and scale effects and a new cycle starts.
An investment in your employees’ ability to provide superior service to customers can be seen as a virtuous circle.
Effort spent in selecting and training employees and creating a corporate culture in which they are empowered can lead to
increased employee satisfaction and employee competence. This will likely result in superior service delivery and customer
satisfaction. This in turn will create customer loyalty, improved sales levels, and higher profit margins. Some of these profits
can be reinvested in employee development thereby initiating another iteration of a virtuous cycle.
Example of a vicious circle in management
A harvesting strategy can be an example of a vicious circle. Rather than reinvesting in employee development, new product
development, and marketing research, management could decide to harvest their investment by reducing costs then increasing
dividends or increasing executive compensation. The consequence of this could be reduced employee wages, minimal training, an
outdated product line, and a failure to understand the needs of the customer. This will likely result in employee
dissatisfaction, employee incompetence, and high employee turnover. This could cause poor service delivery, customer
dissatisfaction, high customer turnover, and loss of market share. Reduced sales and lower profit margins may require a further
reduction in investment thereby initiating another iteration of the vicious cycle.
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External sources
External sources : Virtue in economics
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