Autonomous Motivation for the Successful Implementation of Waste Management Policy: An Examination Using an Adapted Institutional Analysis and Development Framework in Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam

Increasing waste production is a serious problem for every country with substantial waste management initiatives. This challenge can be addressed by establishing waste reduction as a strategic policy. To this end, a project prioritizing community-based composting was implemented in Vietnam’s Thua Thien Hue province. The project mandated that the actors involved (i.e., local authorities, assistance groups, and residents) separate out organic waste for composting. To understand more fully how this policy could be implemented more successfully, first, the present study examined the links between local authorities’ support, groups providing assistance to residents during initiatives, and the project’s outcomes. Second, the research focused on the autonomous motivations influencing this project. These two points made our study novel. A case study design was applied based on self-determination theory and an adapted institutional analysis and development framework. Content analyses of qualitative and secondary data were conducted to examine the framework’s relevant components. Focusing on the psychological states approach, results showed that autonomous motivation was the main driver of waste separation and was activated by the local authorities’ autonomy support, deployed via an assistance group consisting of a waste collector and village leader, as well as other community attributes. These factors therefore affected the project’s outcomes. The research demonstrates the need to advocate local authorities’ autonomy support and residents’ autonomous motivation for waste separation.