The term "Vicious Cycle" in the context of social and economic development is primarily attributed to the Swedish economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal.
Myrdal extensively used and popularized this concept, particularly in his seminal work An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy (1944), to describe self-reinforcing patterns of poverty and inequality.
A vicious cycle refers to a situation where adverse conditions reinforce themselves, creating a detrimental loop that is difficult to escape.
Therefore, Gunnar Myrdal is credited with proposing and developing the concept.