This book contains the key-note lectures and a selection of papers that
were presented at the 15th Conference of the European Association for
Research in Industrial Econo- mics (EARlE) held under the auspices of
GRASP at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 1988, plus an introductory
chapter by the Editors. Upon suggestions by the Editors, all papers have
been revised for this book, some more extensively than others. Robin
Marris has added to his lecture a synopsis of the contributions to the
Round Table on the Micro-Macro Interface which he chaired during the
Conference. The papers cover issues that seem to be both interesting and
relevant for the 1990s. While some of the papers are cast in a rather
established research frame -enabling the use of regular academic
routines - others are first attempts at delineating the contours of
areas that are peripheral to what is often considered as the core of
Industrial Organization. In their introductory chapter, the Editors set
forth that a neglect of those areas may well relegate Industrial
Organization to social irrelevancy. Therefore, it is hoped that the book
will also contribute to a reflection on the main lines of Industrial
Organization research for the 1990s -thus helping to create a healthy
perspective for this part of economics at a time when macroeconomics is
undergoing a severe crisis.