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Minsky and the Subprime Mortgage Crisis: The Financial Instability Hypothesis in the Era of Financialization

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  • Eugenio Caverzasi

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop a structural explanation of the subprime mortgage crisis, grounded on the combination of two apparently incompatible financial theories: the financial instability hypothesis by Hyman P. Minsky and the theory of capital market inflation by Jan Toporowski. Our thesis is that, once the evolution of the financial market is taken into account, the financial Keynesianism of Minsky is still a valid framework to understand the events leading to the crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Eugenio Caverzasi, 2014. "Minsky and the Subprime Mortgage Crisis: The Financial Instability Hypothesis in the Era of Financialization," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_796, Levy Economics Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_796
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Domenico Delli Gatti & Mauro Gallegati & Hyman P. Minsky, 1994. "Financial Institutions, Economic Policy, and the Dynamic Behavior of the Economy," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_126, Levy Economics Institute.
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    8. Hyman P. Minsky & Charles J. Whalen, 1996. "Economic Insecurity and the Institutional Prerequisites for Successful Capitalism," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 155-170, December.
    9. Gary A. Dymski, 2010. "Why the subprime crisis is different: a Minskyian approach," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 34(2), pages 239-255, March.
    10. John V. Duca & John Muellbauer & Anthony Murphy, 2011. "House Prices and Credit Constraints: Making Sense of the US Experience," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(552), pages 533-551, May.
    11. Dimitri B. Papadimitriou & L. Randall Wray (ed.), 2010. "The Elgar Companion to Hyman Minsky," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13122.
    12. Marc Lavoie, 2009. "Introduction to Post-Keynesian Economics," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-23548-9.
    13. Hyman P. Minsky, 1992. "The Financial Instability Hypothesis," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_74, Levy Economics Institute.
    14. Till van Treeck, 2009. "A synthetic, stock--flow consistent macroeconomic model of 'financialisation'," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 467-493, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leonardo Burlamaqui & Ernani T. Torres Filho, 2020. "The COVID-19 Crisis: A Minskyan Approach to Mapping and Managing the (Western?) Financial Turmoil," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_968, Levy Economics Institute.
    2. 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.
    3. Deborah Noguera & Gabriel Montes-Rojas, 2023. "Minskyan model with credit rationing in a network economy," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Brancaccio, Emiliano & Giammetti, Raffaele & Lopreite, Milena & Puliga, Michelangelo, 2018. "Centralization of capital and financial crisis: A global network analysis of corporate control," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 94-104.
    5. Deborah Noguera & Gabriel Montes-Rojas, 2022. "Credit-constrained fluctuations and uncertainty in a network economy," Ensayos Económicos, Central Bank of Argentina, Economic Research Department, vol. 1(80), pages 5-52, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hyman Minsky; Financial Instability Hypothesis; Jan Toporowski; Capital Market Inflation; Financialization; Financial Crisis; Subprime Mortgage Crisis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B2 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925
    • B5 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises

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