A lot has changed since 1973. World average life expectancy has gone up 25 per cent, but the average person in Sierra Leone can only expect to make it to 47 years old. There is a growing gulf in social inequality and a lack of political will to make the massive changes which are needed.

What would the group of young and optimistic people that set up New Internationalist magazine in 1973 have thought of the world of 2013? In this episode Chris Brazier, who has been a co-editor of the magazine since 1984, questions the power structures of modern society and whether the concepts of development and economic growth are ones we need to outgrow quickly for the sake of people and the planet.

The March issue of New Internationalist looks back at 40 years in the life of the world. Is the 2013 of privatization, smartphones and debt crisis any better than the 1970s world of state planning, telexes and debt crisis? 

The New Internationalist podcast is produced by Amy Hall.
Thanks to Water Pageant for the music used in this podcast. Find out more about the band on their MySpace page. Their new album, Sightlings is out now.