We can examine both long-term and short-term changes in gross domestic product, or GDP, using the AD/AS model. In an AD/AS diagram, long-run economic growth due to productivity increases over time is represented by a gradual rightward shift of aggregate supply. The vertical line representing potential GDP—the full-employment level of gross domestic product—gradually shifts to the right over time as well. You can see this effect in AD/AS diagram A below, which shows a pattern of economic growth over three years.
However, the factors that determine the speed of this long-term economic growth rate—like investment in physical and human capital, technology, and whether an economy can take advantage of catch-up growth—do not appear directly in an AD/AS diagram.