Construction of the financial inclusion agenda in light of the actor-network theory

Abstract

This article adopts the perspective of the actor-network theory to understand the role of the actors in the process of social construction of the financial inclusion agenda, considering that agenda-setting can be seen as a continuous process of associations that involves different mediators. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with representatives of the institutions involved in the process of agenda-setting examined, as well as from documentary sources. The dynamics of the process of developing the financial inclusion agenda were analyzed considering the four moments (problematization, interessement, enrolment, and mobilization) presented in the relevant literature. The research found out that the financial inclusion agenda in Brazil is the result of an incremental process, which was attended by a wide range of actors (government, market, developers and scholars, and also international actors) and it was influenced by some non-human elements, among which the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) stands out as the focal actor of the process.