This chapter argues that understanding what is going on in youth justice in England and Wales requires an understanding of the global as well as the local developments that are influencing the knowledge, policies, and practices that impact the well-being of youth, particularly how youth are viewed, processed, and treated by youth justice systems. Although the most common concept of "globalization" refers to the economic and political interdependence of nations and groups of nations, there is also a social impact of these interdependent processes. As nations increasingly interact in international forums, all segments of human life and experience on planet earth come under scrutiny, as national leaders and builders of national institutions seek and offer advice and consensus on how the well-being of youth can be advanced. Within these complex international interactions, this chapter focuses on one aspect of relevance to youth justice practitioners, i.e., the development of a set of influential "knowledge claims" associated with the so-called "what works agenda." Within this agenda, the chapter addresses the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model. The RNR model currently dominates youth justice policy in England and Wales. In examining the transference of this model to an emerging democracy, this chapter discusses the complications that arise in replicating the RNR model in Croatia. This analysis notes that under the RNR model, child-centered approaches are at risk of being marginalized by the more pressing need to reduce the recidivism of youth effectively and efficiently. In developing nations, broader child-centered policies may require greater priority. The principal advice of this chapter is that imported policies through globalization must be carefully scrutinized to determine their appropriateness for local conditions and priorities. 20 references