Abstract: As a mainstream tool to explain policy changes, the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) has broken the “iron triangle” thinking in the traditional policy research. However, the social changes driven by technology, as an important factor in promoting policy changes, have been long overlooked. As a result, the ACF still finds it difficult to explain the impact of environmental changes, and the operating mechanism from policy output to policy impact is still unclear. In this regard, the multilevel model based on technological transformation has significant advantages in explaining the “black box” state of policy changes. The process is based on the grassroots level, the “sociotechnical” system, and the landscape level, and is characterized by several stages:the formation of coalition beliefs and policy change demands, coordination of social groups and loosening of policy forms, social changes and policy discontinuity, and coalition reorganization and completion of policy changes. The social and policy changes driven by digital technology verify the rationality of this framework, and thus confirm and clarify the significant roles of social changes in promoting policy changes and their realization process.

Key words: policy change; social change; multilevel model; advocacy coalition framework (ACF); technological transformation