For some seven decades, econometrics has been almost exclusiveley dealing with constructing and applying econometric equation systems, which constitute constraints in econometric optimization models. The second major component, the scalarvalued objective function, has only in recent years attracted more attention and some progress has been made. This book is devoted to theories, models and methods for constructing scalarvalued objective functions for econometric optimization models, to their applications, and to some related topics like historical issues about pioneering contributions by Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen.

For several decades, scholars have developed methods for solving optimization problems which emerge in economics, econometrics, operations research, and other disciplines. A considerable effort has been made to construct equations from which constraints can be derived, but surprisingly little has been done to construct the other part of optimization models: the scalar-valued objective function, the constrained maximum or minimum of which gives the optimal solution. The given volume is intended to attract attention to the problem, to present the major achievements in the field and to stimulate further research and teaching.

This volume contains a refereed selection of revised papers which were originally presented at the Second International Conference on Econometric Decision Models, University of Hagen (FernUni versitat). The conference was held in Haus Nordhelle, a meeting place in the mountainous area " Sauerland," some 50 kilometers south of Hagen, on August 29 - September 1, 1989. Some details about this conference are given in the first paper, they need not be repeated here. The 40 papers included in this volume are organized in 10 "parts," shown in the table of contents. Included are such "fashionable" topics like "optimal control," "cointegration" and "rational expec tations models." In each part, the papers have been arranged alphabetically by author, unless there were good reasons for a different arrangement. To facilitate the decision making of the readers, all papers (except a few short ones) contain an abstract, a list of keywords and a table of contents. At the end of the proceedings volume, there is a list of authors. More than ten years ago, I began to organize meetings of econometricians, mainly called "seminar" or " colloquium." One major purpose of these meetings has always been to improve international cooperation of econometric model builders (and model users) from "the East" and "the West." Unprecedented changes to the better have taken place recently ("perestroika"). For a large fraction of participants from the Soviet Union, the 1989 conference was the first conference in a Western country."