Borel sets and sectional matrices

Following the path trodden by several authors along the border between Algebraic Geometry and Algebraic Combinatorics, we present some new results on the combinatorial structure of Borel ideals. This enables us to prove theorems on the shape of thesectional matrix of a homogeneous ideal, which is a new invariant stronger than the Hilbert function. The authors were partially supported by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR).