The articles in this symposium cover some of the most active areas of
research in macroeconomics. By design, each article is structured to p
resent both a theoretical framework and empirical evidence. Through th
is structure, the articles synthesize recent developments, present new
results, and provide guidance on avenues for further research. Earlie
r versions of these papers were presented at the Economic Fluctuations
research meeting of the National Bureau of Economic Research on Octob
er 22 and 23, 1993. All papers were subject to the peer referee proces
s that is standard at the Review of Economics and Statistics. The Revi
ew gratefully acknowledges the efforts of Professor Russell Cooper of
Boston University and Professor Steven Durlauf of the University of Wi
sconsin (Madison), who volunteered their services to work as special c
o-editors for this symposium, with the assistance of the chair of the
board of editors of the Review, James Stock.