(b. 1945, Newark, New Jersey). Ph.D. Political Science, M.A. Political Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison; B.A. Political Science, University of Illinois.

[Page 176]Grasso is with the Operations Evaluation Department of the World Bank, Washington, DC. Throughout his career, Grasso has been concerned with how government affects economic development and human betterment. Over the past 3 years, he has led a team testing various modalities of knowledge management as mechanisms to both strengthen the quality of evaluation work and increase its dissemination and use by practitioners within the international economic development system.

He has focused on the use of public policy as a lever for improving economic performance at the local, state, and national levels. Grasso's work in this area has addressed a number of substantive issues, particularly in ...