The quest for low-energy supersymmetry and the role of high-energy $e^+e^-$ colliders

The motivations for low-energy supersymmetry and the main features of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model are reviewed. Possible non-minimal models and the issue of gauge coupling unification are also discussed. Theoretical results relevant for supersymmetric particle searches at present and future accelerators are presented, with emphasis on the role of a proposed $\epem$ collider with $\sqrt{s} = 500 \gev$. In particular, recent results on radiative corrections to supersymmetric Higgs boson masses and couplings are summarized, and their implications for experimental searches are discussed in some detail. (Plenary talk at the Workshop on Physics and Experiments with Linear Colliders, Saariselk\"a, Lapland, Finland, 9--14 September 1991)