In the course of the last fifty years, mathematica1 too1s became a staple in the deve10pment of economic theory. Economists continue to invoke sophisticated and diverse mathematica1 ideas to understand and exp1ain comp1ex situations. This interdiscip1inary process brings the fie1ds of mathematics and economics c10ser together. By now it is ap- parent that in order to advance our understanding of the socia1 sciences, there must be cooperation between mathematiciansand socia1 scientists. We be1ieve that this volume will contribute toward cooperation of this nature. On February 10-12, 1984, a conference on General Economic Equi1ib- rium Theory took p1ace on the campus of Indiana University -Purdue Uni- versity at Indianapo1is. This book is a co11ection of papers, some presented and others inspired by this conference. The authors had the difficu1t task of writing for two discrete audiences: Mathematicians unfami1iar with economic theory and Economists with moderate know1edge of advanced mathematics. The resu1ts presented in these papers faci1i- tate the advancement of both mathematics and economics.
We take this opportunity to thank all the participants at the con- ference, with special thanks to the authors of the artic1es presented here. Also, we thank our institution Indiana University - Purdue Univer- sity at Indianapo1is and its office of sponsored research for a grant supporting this conference.