Federal government debt held by the public reached 67.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2011, and trends point to large budget deficits for many years to come. In this essay, economics writer Renee Haltom and research director John Weinberg explore the implications for monetary policy if...

This year's article was co-authored by Aaron Steelman, director of publications, and John A. Weinberg, senior vice president and director of research. The authors discuss the key events of the financial crisis, examine which factors contributed to it, and consider how policymakers might most...