ABSTRACT
This chapter critically examines the construction of remittance markets in Senegal across different scales and sites. Intra-household transfers do not have an inherent financial worth that can be easily unlocked and transformed into new development finance. Rather, building markets that enable remittance money transfers to be tapped into by state and private sector actors requires extensive financial, technological, and discursive constructions and, importantly, behavioural engineering. The chapter draws on primary data generated through qualitative research interviews with civil society, state, and private sector actors in Dakar and Thiès in Senegal, as well as in-field observations and document analysis of key policies, programmes, and activities targeting remittance recipients for financial inclusion. The chapter begins by outlining the remittance landscape in Senegal, focusing on various actors and market-making strategies, and the design and commercialisation of remittance-linked products and services. It then examines how remittance markets come into existence and some of the controversies that come with such processes by paying particular attention to the practical accomplishment of three key market framings: (1) the conversion of remittances into commodities; (2) the formatting of agencies among different remittance market actors; and (3) the formatting of market encounters between remittances, financial and commercial institutions, and global investors.
