It is entirely refreshing to see the new growth agenda recognise the importance of context specificity and policy combinations as central to identifying a path to poverty reduction. This has long been overlooked by the industry of growth regressions and the resulting blueprint policy frameworks that emerged from earlier growth models. yet the new growth agenda is not without its problems. A continued reliance on growth alone is not a recipe for poverty reduction and fails to deal with the persistence of inequality. This briefing asks: can the new growth agenda deliver on its promises for the poor? And where there are failings, what should be done?