Is Minsky’s financial instability hypothesis valid?

In this article I reassess the validity of Minsky’s financial instability hypothesis and the main criticism about its internal coherence. Starting from this fundamental objection, I study Minsky’s contribution within the scope of a highly simplified macro-model. It is shown that the financial instability hypothesis (increasing debt ratios during economic expansion) remains valid in numerous cases. It appears, amongst other things, that a sufficient fall in the retention rate reinforces Minsky’s conclusions, emphasising the destabilising role of shareholders in the distribution of net profits.