BACKSIDE BALANCE
Charles François (2004). BACKSIDE BALANCE, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 234.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 234 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences |
A kind of behavioral feedback that tends to restore dynamic equilibrium in a distorted economic or social relation.
The notion has been introduced by M. MARUYAMA (1994, p.35), who calls it “backside system”. It seems better here to avoid the use of the word system, because the backside reaction is not in itself a system, but a device or process within a system.
MARUYAMA gives various examples of this kind of adaptive regulation in distorted systems. “The combination of low wage and off-the-job income in South America, and low wage and multiple employment in Hungary until 1992, are also examples…” (Ibid)
MARUYAMA makes this very important observation: “Quite often, the backside system is invisible to outsiders” (Ibid)