When and how does stakeholder credibility matter in shaping public opinion? We explore this question in a real-world setting: in order to fight its citizens’ financial exclusion—a key barrier to development in Indian Country—American Indian Nation “A” negotiated the first entry of the first bank to its reservation. The bank is owned by American Indian Nation “B.” To the Federal Reserve, the bank branch is a potential proof-of-concept for the capacity of tribe-to-tribe investment to improve capital access in underserved Native communities. The bank’s success ultimately depends on whether Nation A’s citizens use its services; in the months before its opening, all three stakeholders independently attempted to influence public opinion toward the bank. We collaborated to conduct a first-of-its-kind survey of Nation A’s tribal members, finding high baseline buy-in especially given the bank’s nationality, but weak and even counterproductive treatment effects of pro-banking cues provided by Nation A and the Federal Reserve. Our results make clear the practical benefits of theory-building around stakeholder credibility, and the crucial role of individual attitudes in the political economy of development.

中文翻译：

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利益相关者线索、民族血统和对企业的公众舆论：以美洲印第安人国家第一家银行为背景的证据

利益相关者的信誉何时以及如何对形成公众舆论产生影响？我们在现实世界中探讨这个问题：为了对抗其公民的金融排斥——印第安国家发展的一个关键障碍——美国印第安民族“A”通过谈判让第一家银行首次进入其保留地。该银行的所有者为美洲印第安人“B”。对于美联储来说，银行分行是一个潜在的概念验证，可以证明部落之间的投资是否有能力改善服务不足的原住民社区的资本获取。该银行的成功最终取决于 A 国公民是否使用其服务；在银行开业前的几个月里，所有三个利益相关者都独立地试图影响公众对银行的看法。我们合作对 A 国的部落成员进行了一项史无前例的调查，结果发现，特别是考虑到银行的国籍，人们的基线支持度很高，但 A 国和联邦提供的支持银行业线索的处理效果很弱，甚至适得其反。预订。我们的研究结果清楚地表明了围绕利益相关者可信度构建理论的实际好处，以及个人态度在政治经济发展中的关键作用。