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It happened again: A Minskian analysis of the subprime loan crisis

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  • Silipo, Damiano B.

Abstract

The advanced countries are now going through the worst crisis since the Depression, but today's dominant current theories and econometric models proved unable to predict the crisis. The paper investigates whether the financial instability hypothesis of Hyman P. Minsky offers a better explanation. Minsky argued that in a period of economic growth and tranquility economic agents are more prone to take risk, and banks are more willing to finance borrowers. Meanwhile, in the course of the boom over-indebtedness and financial innovations make the financial system more fragile, and more exposed to adverse effects. We show that both these effects made themselves felt in the subprime loan crisis. Specifically, the main determinants of the crisis have been the increasing appetite for risk and financial innovations. So, we conclude that, although this crisis differs in some of its features from previous crashes and from Minsky's account, the mechanisms underscored by Minsky were and are nevertheless at work.

Suggested Citation

  • Silipo, Damiano B., 2011. "It happened again: A Minskian analysis of the subprime loan crisis," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 63(5), pages 441-455, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jebusi:v:63:y:2011:i:5:p:441-455
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shazia Ghani, 2011. "A re-visit to Minsky after 2007 financial meltdown," Post-Print halshs-01027435, HAL.
    2. Kwamie Dunbar & Abu S. Amin, 2012. "Credit risk dynamics in response to changes in the federal funds target: The implication for firm short‐term debt," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(3), pages 141-152, September.
    3. Mulligan, Robert F., 2013. "New evidence on the structure of production: Real and Austrian business cycle theory and the financial instability hypothesis," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 67-77.
    4. Yulia Vymyatnina & Mikhail Pakhnin, 2014. "Application of Minsky's Theory to State-Dominated Economies," EUSP Department of Economics Working Paper Series 2014/03, European University at St. Petersburg, Department of Economics.
    5. KORKMAZ, Özge, 2017. "Is Minsky’S Instability Hypothesis Acceptable For The Relation Between Borrowing Rate And Profitability?," Studii Financiare (Financial Studies), Centre of Financial and Monetary Research "Victor Slavescu", vol. 21(1), pages 6-27.
    6. Mulligan, Robert F., 2013. "A sectoral analysis of the financial instability hypothesis," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 450-459.
    7. Ghulam Mujtaba Chaudhary & Zaheer Abbas & Jamshed Khurshid Meer, 2018. "Comparative Analysis Of Financial Systems In Context Of Global Financial Crisis," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 14(1), pages 95-109.
    8. Yulia Vymyatnina & Mikhail Pakhnin, 2014. "Application of Minsky's Theory to State-Dominated Economies," EUSP Department of Economics Working Paper Series Ec-03/14, European University at St. Petersburg, Department of Economics.
    9. Ghulam Mujtaba Chaudhary & Zaheer Abbas & Jamshed Khurshid Meer, 2018. "Comparative Analysis Of Financial Systems In Context Of Global Financial Crisis," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 14(1), pages 14-18.

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