Re:The curious case of the fall in crime
by SeanLuke on Sunday July 21, 2013 @02:50AM
(#6078094)
Except that the link between the drop in crime and the elimination of lead has very strong evidence, and the various social theories bandied about by the Economist have almost no support. They didn't just not put "every point" into the summary -- they completely ignored the biggest, best supported reason.
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Here's the longer article: http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21582041-rich-world-s...
The economist clearly doesn't agree with you, here's what they said about lead:
Jessica Wolpaw Reyes, an American researcher, has argued that the cognitive effects of exposure to lead were a primary determinant of violent crime, and unleaded petrol is to thank for the improvement. But the causal link is far from proven.
The Economist needs to read up a bit. There is strong support for lead as the primary determinant, and not just correlation.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-li...