Over at NPR Marketplace, Sarah Leeson got to wondering about what economists mean by a “widget.” This curiousity led her to my post about three years ago, “A Brief History of Widgets” (August 15, 2022). In turn, this led to a four-minute report on “How do `widgets’ fit into our services-based economy?” (NPR Marketplace, December 25, 2025). If you would like to listen me and others giggling about widgets–with some actual information mixed in–I commend the episode to your attention.
