Chris Benner

Alum 2001

Dr. Chris Benner, PhD, is the Dorothy E. Everett Chair in Global Information and Social Entrepreneurship, Director of the Everett Program for Technology and Social Change, and a Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research examines the relationships between technological change, regional development, and the structure of economic opportunity, focusing on regional labor markets and the transformation of work and employment.

He has authored or co-authored six books and more that 70 journal articles, chapters, and research reports. His most significant books include:

Equity, Growth and Community, which examines diversity and dynamics of regional knowledge communities and their relationship to social equity and economic growth; Just Growth, which helps uncover the subtle and detailed processes, policies, and institutional arrangement that help explain how certain regions around the country have been able to consistently link prosperity and inclusion; This Could Be The Start of Something Big, which examines new regional movements around community development, policy initiatives, and social movement organizing; and Work in the New Economy, an examination of the transformation of work and employment in the information economy. He received his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.