The gap between actual and potential GDP is thus a gauge of an economy’s spare capacity. The distinction is also useful for policy purposes: weak potential growth cannot be addressed by demand-side initiatives; supply-side measures are needed.
因此，实际和潜在GDP之差就成为经济闲置产能的指标。这个差额还可用于政策目的：低迷的潜在增长更无法通过需求端措施解决，而是需要供给端措施。