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As an urban and economic geographer, my overall focus is on the spatial analysis of both urbanization processes and economic activities. At the core of my work is a concern for promoting equity in access to social and economic opportunities. I believe that promoting equity requires an understanding of the fundamental changes occurring in our global economic system and the development of practical intervention strategies aimed primarily at local (workplace, community, city and metropolitan) scales. Within this overarching framework, my research and teaching focus on the intersections of the following topics:
I maintain an international and comparative perspective in my work, with a long-standing interest and specialization in Southern Africa, along with my U.S.-based research. This international perspective is essential not only for understanding how communities in different parts of the world are affected by global forces, but also for analyzing the impacts of different strategies that are being used to cope with and reshape these forces. As a public intellectual, I integrate this understanding in my own applied efforts to contribute to policy development and progressive social change. Thus, I attempt to integrate my teaching, research, service and outreach activities into a cohesive whole. The mutual interconnections between these activities help strengthen my knowledge, my effectiveness as a teacher, as well as my effectiveness in the public arena.
Joined Faculty at Penn State in 2001
Assistant Professor of Geography and Labor Studies and Industrial Relations
Ph.D. (2000), MCP (1995), City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley
B.A. (1987), Dartmouth College
View Dr. Benner's curriculum vitae for a full list of courses taught, publications, fellowships, prizes, grants, presentations, guest lectures, and professional services and affiliations.
(Partial list: See curriculum vitae for full list of publications.)
My (2002) book, Work in the New Economy (Blackwell Press) contributes to our understanding of the transformation of work in the information economy through a detailed examination of labor markets in Silicon Valley. It provides an original analysis of flexible labor including growing volatility in work demands and increasingly tenuous employment relations. In shaping this context of rapid change, it examines the increasingly important role of labor market intermediaries. These new labor dynamics, shaped by flexibility and intermediation, create difficult and contradictory conditions for workers. Some workers clearly thrive in this vibrant context, but many face high levels of insecurity amidst growing inequality.
"The labor market in Silicon Valley is the likely harbinger of things to come in the rest of the American economy. Chris Benner's analysis of the market's structure should be taken very seriously. He has brought us a vast amount of information that will help policy makers plan for the future." Professor Martin Carnoy, Stanford University.
"Benner's work on the Silicon Valley's labor markets provides valuable insights for policymakers and activists as well as scholars who care about the future of work and workers in the new economy." Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, University of California, Berkeley.
Benner, Chris (forthcoming) "South Africa On-Call: Information Technology and Labour Restructuring in South African Call Centres" Regional Studies.
The dramatic global growth of call centres represents a potentially valuable employment opportunity for South Africa, as the country is gaining visibility as a viable site for off-shored business from the U.S. and Europe. South Africa’s growth potential, however, is constrained by low educational levels of potential call centre workers, a lack of customer service management skills, and inattention to the temporal challenges of call centre work, including career trajectories for workers in the industry and evolutionary trends in the industry itself. To address this, the South African government must do more than market the country internationally. It must develop a more comprehensive approach that takes a longer-term perspective and embraces human capacity development as a central element of an economic upgrading strategy.
Manuel Pastor, Chris Benner and Martha Matsuoka, (forthcoming) "The Regional Nexus: The Promise and Risk of Community-Based Approaches to Metropolitan Equity", in Paul Ong and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, eds, Community Economic Development in Minority Communities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
This paper tries to take a realistic look at community-based regionalism's (CBRs) potential to affect community economic development in low-income and working poor urban neighborhoods, highlighting the experience of communities in the San Francisco Bay Area that were part of a foundation-sponsored set of "comprehensive community initiatives".
Benner, Chris (forthcoming) Workforce Choices: Business & Financial Services, Analysis of Occupational Structure, Employment Dynamics and Career Opportunities. Research report prepared for Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry & Keystone Research Center.
This report is part of the State of Pennsylvania's efforts to promote effective workforce and economic development strategies in selected targeted industry clusters. The report analyzes changing occupational structures in business & financial services, the second largest targeted industry, providing one out of seven jobs in the state. It identifies priority occupations, analyzes forces leading to changing skill and occupation demand, and develops recommendations for improving workforce development practice to meet these demands.
Benner, Chris, Tony LoPresti, Martha Matsuoka, Manuel Pastor and Rachel Rosner (2005) Immigrant Workers Empowerment and Community Building: A Review of Issues and Strategies for Increasing Workforce and Economic Opportunity for Immigrant Workers. (University of Santa Cruz: Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community).
This research report profiles eight organizations who have had success working with an immigrant worker population, generally in the context of broader efforts for community and policy change. The research describes the range of strategies necessary to address and meet the needs of immigrant workers and create viable employment opportunities. Available Online.
Manuel Pastor, Chris Benner, Rachel Rosner, Martha Matsuoka, Julie Jacobs (2005) Community Building, Community Bridging: Linking Neighborhood Improvement Initiatives and the New Regionalism in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Santa Cruz: Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community.)
This report discusses efforts to improve the quality of life in three low-income neighborhoods in the Bay Area, by analyzing socio-economic trends in the neighborhoods and building links between neighborhood leaders and regional economic opportunities and decision-making structures. < a href = "http://cjtc.ucsc.edu/docs/r_Community_Building_Community_Bridging.pdf" target=_"new">Available Online.
Benner, Chris (2003) "'Computers in the Wild': Guilds and Next Generation Unionism in the Information Revolution." International Review of Social History, 48:S11.
The information revolution has resulted in a surprising re-emergence of 'guilds' and other occupational communities, as skilled information technology workers come together in order to share knowledge, improve career opportunities, and protect themselves from insecurity. This paper examines the activities of guilds in Silicon Valley, evaluating their effectiveness and the broader implications for worker representation in the information economy. Given the rapidly changing skill requirements associated with the volatility of the information economy, these guild-like structures have a difficult time affecting labor supply or regulating standards in their occupations, and thus lack the monopoly strength that sustained their medieval antecedents. Nonetheless, the decline of workplace stability continues to undermine work-site based representation and increases the attractiveness of guild-type structures. Thus, since these guilds do provide some significant benefits for their members, they can be an important component of broader strategies aimed at building security for workers in the information economy.
Benner, Chris (2003) "Learning Communities in a Learning Region: The Soft Infrastructure of Cross-Firm Learning Communities in Silicon Valley" Environment and Planning A, 35:10, 1809-1830.
The ability of firms, industries, and regions to continually translate information and knowledge into viable new products, services, and production processes in the face of constantly changing technology and market conditions is increasingly at the core of competitive success in the contemporary economy. Such economic learning is ultimately dependent on the ability of individuals to learn, and yet most of the literature in this area has focused on firms and organizational learning processes, and is only beginning to seriously engage with people's learning processes. This paper explores the links between social learning processes and dynamics of innovation in Silicon Valley, arguing that cross-firm, occupationally-based, 'communities of practice' provide a critical context for individuals to learn and maintain the competencies they need to be successful in the region's dynamic but volatile economy. These cross-firm occupational learning communities in many cases are being built through the activities of formal professional associations, which are playing an increasingly important role in providing the organizational infrastructure to sustain these learning communities. Using a case study of an association of women in Internet design and development occupations, the paper illustrates the value of such communities in supporting individual and collective learning processes. These findings suggest that economic development strategies could productively be focused on identifying, strengthening and expanding access to such cross-firm occupational learning communities.
Benner, Chris (2003)"Digital Development and Disruption in South Africa: Balancing Growth and Equity in National ICT Policies", Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, 2:1.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are both critical for economic development, and highly disruptive to existing employment opportunities. Maximizing the potential of ICTs requires both promoting their use and addressing the inequality and dislocation they may cause. This paper examines South African national policy efforts that have an explicit goal of both growth and equity in the promotion of ICT use. Through an examination of two particularly high profile programs, the paper argues that national policy minimizes the potentially negative impact of ICTs on traditional employment sectors and fails to address the volatile nature of employment and skill requirements in ICT industries themselves. As a result, unless these shortcomings are addressed, national ICT policy in South Africa seems likely to further contribute to the disruption of existing employment opportunities while contributing to growing inequality.
Benner, Chris (2003) "Labour Flexibility and Regional Development: The Role of Labour Market Intermediaries." Regional Studies, 37:6&7, 621-33.
As contemporary labor markets have become more complex, volatile and unpredictable, labor market intermediaries (LMIs) have played an increasingly prominent role in shaping labor flexibility and regional development. Existing theories of regional development, however, don't adequately account for this prominent role. Using Silicon Valley as a case study, this article contributes to developing a theory of intermediaries and regional development by highlighting the role LMIs play in three important labor market functions-reducing transactions costs, building networks and managing risk. In doing this, intermediaries play a critical role in shaping the speed and character of labor market adjustment, thus contributing directly to regional development, with significant implications for regional development policy.
Pastor, Manuel, Chris Benner, and Rachel Rosner. (2003) "An Option for the Poor: A Research Audit for Community-Based Regionalism in California's Central Coast." Economic Development Quarterly. 17:3.
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are increasingly interested in tackling issues of regional economic development to address the inequality and resource shortfalls that plague their constituents. Some groups have conducted "regional audits" to understand the economic and political terrain and select entry points that will maximize their impact. This article reports on a collaborative effort between university and community partners in California's Central Coast that involved the development of a research-based audit, explaining how the complex interplay of economic clusters, environmentalist traditions, and demographic changes led to an initial emphasis on housing. We note how the conscious power-building aspects of this approach can help with economic and community development, and we draw lessons for community-based regionalist efforts in other parts of the country.
Chris Benner, Steve Herzenberg, and Kelly Prince.(2003) A Workforce Development Agenda for the New Governor: Building The Infrastructure of a Learning Economy. Report prepared for the Keystone Research Center, commissioned by Governor Mark Schweiker. (Harrisburg, PA: Keystone Research Center.)
Employment and training programs in Pennsylvania and the United States have been criticized for their perceived failure to improve job opportunities for workers or address skill needs of employers. Some observers have called workforce programs a waste of money. The report summarized briefly here, commissioned by Governor Schweiker, takes a different view. Based on interviews with 50 workforce policymakers and practitioners across Pennsylvania, the report concludes that a well-functioning learning and career infrastructure is a critical resource for future competitiveness and economic opportunity in Pennsylvania. By learning and career infrastructure we mean institutions and networks that span multiple employers and educational providers, enabling workers to acquire work-relevant knowledge and gain economic security and career advancement. This learning and career infrastructure will not emerge automatically via the magic of the market any more than did the infrastructures that fueled growth in the "old economy" - a reliable telecommunications and utility infrastructure, the interstate highway system, a stable financial system. The state must help foster its development. In the knowledge-based economy of the future, the regions that build the most effective learning infrastructures will enjoy the highest living standards and the best quality of life. Regions that invest too little or ineffectively will see their economic position deteriorate. Available on-line.
Benner, Chris, Bob Brownstein and Amy Dean (1999) Walking the Lifelong Tightrope: Negotiating Work in The New Economy. Chris Benner, Bob Brownstein and Amy Dean. Report prepared for Working Partnerships USA. San Jose, CA: Working Partnerships USA
Examines the striking changes in California's economy over the past decade and the implications of this transformation for the state's working families. The report details how workers at all income levels are increasingly vulnerable to rapid changes in our volatile, information-based economy and how inequality has become more and more entrenched in California's economic structure. To decrease economic insecurity and volatility, Walking the Lifelong Tightrope proposes news ways for government, business and labor to develop new institutions and policies that protect working families, provide effective bridges from low-paid to high-paid occupations and industries, and provide life-long learning opportunities. Available online.
Benner, Chris (1998) "Win the Lottery or Organize: Economic Restructuring and Union Organizing in Silicon Valley" Berkeley Planning Journal, 12, 50-71.
The growth and change in high-tech industries in Silicon Valley over the last 20 years has produced a highly bifurcated society, with little social mobility between low and high stratums of the society. The highly unequal occupational structure of high-tech industries, combined with the rise in out-sourcing of related service occupations, has contributed to the growing inequality in the region. In this environment, traditional models of labor organizing in the electronics sectors have been ineffective in improving wages and working conditions for low-wage workers. Other, more innovative organizing efforts, however, have had more success. These newer efforts link organizing in the community with organizing in the workplace, build links between environmental justice concerns and work-place safety and health issues, help break down divisions between the public and private sphere, and bring greater public oversight of private sector employment practices. While these efforts have yet to have a major impact in improving employment prospects for low-wage workers in high-tech industries, they do provide some important insights into potential new forms of labor organizing.
Benner, Chris and Rachel Rosner "Living Wage, An Opportunity for San Jose: A Report on the Benefits and Impact of a Living Wage Ordinance on the City of San Jose." Chris Benner and R. Rosner. San Jose, CA: Working Partnerships USA.
A report on the benefits and impact of a Living Wage ordinance on the City of San Jose. This study stimulated the development of the groundbreaking Living Wage Ordinance approved by the City of San Jose in November of 1998. Available online.
Benner, Chris (1998) Growing Together or Drifting Apart? Working Families and Business in the New Economy. Report prepared for Working Partnerships USA. San Jose, CA: Working Partnerships USA.
A status report on social and economic well-being in Silicon Valley which documented a range of social and economic indicators relevant to working families in Silicon Valley. Available online.
Martin Carnoy, Manuel Castells and Chris Benner (1997) "Labor Markets and Employment Practices in the Age of Flexibility: A Case Study of Silicon Valley". International Labour Review 136:1.
Flexible employment has accounted for more than half of Silicon Valley's total employment growth in the past ten years. Given the area's trend-setting role in global high-technology production, this pattern is likely to spread. Focusing on temporary employment agencies, the authors show that this and other forms of flexible employment have become a permanent strategy among firms. This may create insecurity for low-skilled workers, but highly skilled workers are using the system to their own advantage - and firms get more labour flexibility than they want.
Geography
120::
Urban Geography: A Global Perspective
Geography
420:
Race and Class in the Modern Metropolis: The New Economy and Urban Development in Pittsburgh
EM SC 470W:
Environmental Justice in South Africa
Geography 497:
Digital Cities: Information Technology and Urban Restructuring
Geography 497H:
Labor in the Global Economy: South African and U.S. Perspectives
Geography 505: Information Technology and Work: Opportunity and Marginalization in the New Economy