One of the most controversial and divisive issues in America, welfare reform stirs endless legislative study and heated debate but often results in political gridlock. Such was the case in the late 1980s when the Minnesota legislature came to a stalemate on the issue. In response, Governor Rudy Perpich gathered a group of citizen experts to redesign welfare, and a remarkable burst of innovation resulted in a groundbreaking and stunningly successful pilot welfare program. Intended to lift families out of poverty, as well as to move them off assistance, the Minnesota Family Investment Program...