The need for a process of inter-disciplinary dialogue and consensus-building aimed at establishing the ‘common ground’ between rights and economics discourses has been highlighted by Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. At the same time, there remains a wide perception of a conflict between realising rights on the one hand and economics concerns on the other – with fundamental freedoms and human rights often viewed as being in tension with development, growth and the optimal allocation of resources. This background paper for ODI's event series on Human Rights and Poverty Reduction considers this issue specifically in relation to achieving economic growth.