Finally, we expect regulatory choice between silence and talk to vary in light of the interdependence between the regulator and specific stakeholders. The rationale underlying this latter argument is two-fold. First, the more dependent a regulator is on its audiences--for example, because they have more influence on the regulator's political overseers, and are consequently better positioned to threaten its reputation, turf, and resources the more inclined will the regulator be to publicly account for its actions. Second, the regulator may be able to avoid public talk by shifting further discussions and negotiations with its opponents to a nonpublic venue (Schattschneider 1975). A regulator's communication with some audiences may involve informal talk, including negotiations behind closed doors. By undertaking negotiations behind closed doors, the regulator may be able to contain further expansion of conflict into the public arena, and to depoliticize the issue of contention. Needless to say, some audiences are more likely than others to be offered the opportunity to participate in such highly confidential processes, and to actually agree to do so. Regulated firms may be inclined to take part in such negotiations because they cannot afford a breakdown in their relationship with the regulator. Regulators operating in the same sector (e.g., banking, insurance, and securities) may tend to share this inclination, expecting that the regulator in question will reciprocate when requested. A regulator's attempt to shift negotiations with politicians, consumers, and the nonregulated industry to nonpublic venues may prove to be more challenging. The third hypothesis is thus:
[H.sub.3] A unified regulator is more likely to keep publicly silent when it enjoys greater control over those who are voicing claims in the public domain, and over the venue of further negotiations with these sources of opinion.
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