Matthew Lust

Background

About Matthew Lust

My current research interests are in the areas of Rural Sociology and Rural Community Development. My current projects include: What's Next: Contexts and Constraints in Community Development. Scattered around South Dakota are any number of communities which reflect many of the travails of rural communities throughout the Great Plains and the United States. These include a declining and aging population, obsolete infrastructure, few high-wage occupations and lack of access to the financial capital to support high-tech and innovative entrepreneurs. While these factors are what contribute to the current struggles facing rural communities, none of them must inherently continue to dominate a community’s discourse. As part of a larger community development effort, 20 rural South Dakota communities took part in an community book read based on the book Hollowing Out The Middle and appreciative inquiry that asked them to become active agents of change in their communities. In locating these community's action plans within the Community Capitals Framework (CCF)(Flora and Flora 2008) we are able to identify the assets each community currently possesses (Present Capitals), while also illustrating their efforts to improve their community’s weaknesses (Potential Capitals). This paper helps to further refine the CCF framework as a useful tool in the Rural Community Development by working to identify the capitals likely to be present in rural communities and those that a rural community can enact on their own. Additionally, this paper looks to explore the process through which these communities construct their strengths and weakness and attempt to engage in self-directed development efforts. Over the last 6 years I have been pursuing an academic career in Sociology. During this time I have engaged in 10 major qualitative research projects on subjects ranging from online gaming to self and identity among people with Disabilities. Specialties: Qualitative Research; Interviews Focus Groups Observation Quantitative Research: Survey Construction Data Mining Data Analysis