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...
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-li...
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.