Socio-Technical Transitions: Dynamic Interactions Between Actors and Regulatory Responses in Regulatory Sandboxes

This study draws on socio-technical transition theory to examine how multi-actor dynamics among producers, consumers, and the media within an experimental niche—Korea’s regulatory sandbox—shape policy responsiveness and the regulatory speed of governmental responses to emerging technologies, thereby influencing socio-technical transitions. We construct a longitudinal dataset of 2136 sandbox approvals between 2019 and 2025 and 1374 cases in which related legal or administrative adjustments have been completed. Changes in actor couplings before and after sandbox approval are first assessed using Pearson correlation analysis, while temporal lead–lag relationships are identified via vector autoregression (VAR) and Granger causality tests. Building on these dynamic analyses, the study subsequently investigates the determinants of regulatory response speed using ordered logistic regression, incorporating government policy orientation (progressive vs. conservative) as a moderating variable. The results show, first, that the strong producer–consumer coupling observed prior to sandbox approval weakens afterwards, whereas the consumer–media linkage becomes substantially stronger. Second, the time-series analysis of technologies within the regulatory sandbox reveals a typical technology-push pattern and a self-reinforcing feedback loop. Specifically, producer activity initiates the signal sequence, preceding consumer reactions; subsequently, media coverage significantly drives consumer engagement, and the resulting increase in consumer attention, in turn, stimulates further media coverage. Third, in the ordered logit model, media activity accelerates legal and regulatory reform, whereas consumer activity acts as a delaying factor, with producer activity showing no significant direct effect. Finally, government policy orientation systematically moderates the magnitude and direction of these effects. Overall, the study proposes an actor-centered mechanism in which learning generated in the sandbox is externalized through consumer–media channels and translated into regulatory pacing. Based on these findings, we derive practical implications for firms and regulators regarding proactive media engagement, transparent use of evidence, institutionalized channels for consumer input, and robust feedback standards that support sustainable commercialization of emerging technologies.