Title of Dissertation: national renewable energy policy

Table 12. 
Categories for type of organization. 
Category 
Description 
State 
U.S. 
U.S. government agencies and legislators 
China 
China government agencies, ministries, and legislators 
Other 
Government agencies, ministries, and legislators in other 
countries 
Solar panel 
manufacturer 
U.S. 
The U.S.-based solar panel manufacturers or the coalitions of 
them 
China 
China-based solar panel manufacturers or the coalitions of them 
Other 
Solar panel manufacturers based in the countries other than the 
U.S. and China or the coalitions of them 
Solar 
corporation 
other than 
panel 
manufacturer
U.S. 
The U.S.-based solar corporations other than solar panel 
manufacturers or the coalitions of them 
China 
China-based solar corporations other than solar panel 
manufacturers or the coalitions of them 
Other 
Solar corporations other than solar panel manufacturers based in 
the countries other than the U.S. and China or the coalitions of 
them 
Industry 
Association 
U.S. 
Industry associations or coalitions including more than two 
different types of organizations located in the U.S. 
China 
Industry associations or coalitions including more than two 
types of organizations located in China 
Expert
 
U.S.
 
Solar experts including consultants, scholars, researchers and 
investors in the U.S. 
China
 
Solar experts including consultants, scholars, researchers and 
investors in China 
Each statement was coded for four categories related to Chinese solar panel 
issues. The categories were developed by an open coding of sample articles. Three 
categories are about the frames of Chinese solar panels: “Chinese solar panels benefit the 
U.S economy,” “Chinese solar panels benefit the affordability of solar energy,” and “the 
trade practices of Chinese solar panels are fair.” Each category was coded whether the 
organization agree or disagree with each statement. The other category was about the 
position on policy: “The tariff on Chinese solar panels is necessary.”

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For coding, the software Discourse Network Analyzer was used.
118
This software 
has been used for coding of texts and building social networks.
119
An affiliation matrix 
with actors and policy preferences was established, and this matrix was transformed into 
an actor-by-actor matrix, which includes the number of shared policy stances between 
actors. Political coalition was derived from this matrix as a network based on the 
assumption that similarity of policy preferences encourages actors to make a coalition. 
The coalitions were visualized by using NetDraw, a program for visualizing social 
network data. 
Findings 
Prominent actors in the solar panel trade issue field
 
Various organizations and individuals have revealed their opinions on the U.S.-
China solar panel trade issue. Although the solar panel manufacturers in other countries, 
who released 50 statements, were the most prominent actors, they were not very 
dominant (Table 13). Many actors in China also actively released their statements. One 
third of the statements are from the actors based in China. 
118
Leifeld, Philip, “Discourse Network Analyzer manual,” 
http://www.philipleifeld.de/discourse-network-analyzer-dna/manual/manual.html
. 
(September 23, 2012)
119
Fisher, Dana R., Philip Leifeld, and Yoko Iwaki. "Mapping the ideological networks 
of American climate politics." 
Climatic Change
116, no. 3-4 (2013): 523-545.; Leifeld, 
Philip, and Sebastian Haunss. "Political discourse networks and the conflict over software 
patents in Europe." 
European Journal of Political Research
51, no. 3 (2012): 382-409.; 
Stoddart, Mark CJ, and David B. Tindall. "Canadian news media and the cultural 
dynamics of multilevel climate governance." 
Environmental Politics
24, no. 3 (2015): 
401-422.

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