To examine patterns of social assistance provision specific to particular provinces, Boychuk develops a five-fold typology consisting of "residual," "market/family enforcement," "market performance," "conservative," and "redistributive" models. He uses this typology to compare development of assistance provision in the provinces, provincial responses to federal initiatives, and unique trajectories of assistance regimes. He concludes by surveying some of the broader implications of his findings for issues such as the development of national standards and the impact of globalization on social assistance provision in Canada. Patchworks of Purpose is an important book for students of social assistance and social policy as well as for scholars interested in Canadian public policy, Canadian federalism, and Canadian politics in general.