INTRODUCTION TO THE SYMPOSIUM - THE DISCIPLINE OF APPLIED GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM

The use of general equilibrium models in applied research imposes a di scipline in which model structures can easily be compared and contrast ed and model results can be interpreted using a well understood and ri gorously developed theoretical framework. These features allow researc hers to compare results across modeling efforts and to build on the ex perience of others in deriving results and formulating questions. This paper first presents a brief critical history of applied general equi librium analysis. It then summarizes the contributions of eight other papers in this issue.