InhaltsangabeTHEORETICAL PART.- The Concept of Potential Output: A History of Origins.- Historical Positions and Controversies.- Epistemological Subsumption.- METHODOLOGICAL-EMPIRICAL PART.- Analysis and Criticism of Conventional Methods of Estimation.- Analysis of the Declining Trend in Germany's Potential Growth Performance.- Alternative Methods for a Forward-Looking Assessment of Potential GDP Growth.- Conclusions for Economic Policy and Empirical Macroeconomics.