Assessing State Social Service Spending Under Welfare Reform

September 2002 Assessing State Social Service Spending Under Welfare Reform The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government By Donald J. Boyd, Patricia L. Billen, and Richard P. Nathan Welfare reform gave states new flexibility to decide how to deliver and finance services for low income families, while changing the fiscal incentives for state governments and altering federal-state fiscal relationships. These changes created new challenges for the federal government and others interested in whether and to what extent states have met the goals of welfare reform. This paper examines accountability challenges created by the new fiscal environment, drawing insights from . . .