Analysts expect gross domestic product to grow by 10 percent in the second quarter of this year, with the economy filling the entire chasm created in the pandemic by the end of June. For 2021, the expectation is for the fastest economic growth since the 1980s.

This relatively rapid recovery is a remarkable achievement for the U.S., and we must credit the Federal Reserve for doggedly sticking to a zero-interest-rate strategy, and holding firm to that commitment to make the job market as favorable as possible for workers.

The architect of that strategy is Jerome Powell, the former private equity executive who has spent nearly a decade on the Federal Reserve Board and was appointed chair by Donald Trump in 2018. Though Powell is also the architect of the most persistent bank deregulation of the post–financial crisis era (or at least, the head of the organization that led the way on that deregulation), Wall Street has grown more dangerous on his watch.

The situation has produced an unusual thing in politics lately: a genuine debate, which we published just last week.

Below are each of the pieces from that debate series, plus others from our archive that set the stage for this current debate:

Should Biden Reappoint Jerome Powell?: Executive editor David Dayen sets up the Powell debate.

Reappoint Powell as Fed Chair: Contributor Dean Baker argues in favor of reappointment, arguing that Biden's presidency depends on it.

Jerome Powell Went Easy on Wall Street: Contributor Max Moran asserts that Powell's record on Wall Street gets in the way of good monetary policy, worsening recessions and inequality.

Reimagining the Federal Reserve: Contributor Tracey Lewis highlights the Fed's ability to protect the financial system from climate-fueled disaster and how Powell has been reluctant to use this power.

Liberalish: The Complex Odyssey of Lael Brainard: Co-founder Bob Kuttner's 2020 analysis of one of Biden's initial prospective picks for Treasury Secretary, Lael Brainard, arguing she's no threat to Wall Street.

How Do You Spell Fiscal Relief?: Here, co-founder Bob Kuttner explains how as the sole Democrat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Lael Brainard might have led the charge against Mitch McConnell in 2020.