Hundreds of doctors, including dozens from Australia, have signed an open letter calling for a commentary in a social sciences journal to be retracted on the grounds it is nothing more than a “racist rant”.

Published in Society, the article claims minorities, “especially blacks and Hispanics”, respond “weakly” to chances to “get ahead through education and work”.

And social barriers, such as racial bias, have not been found to impede their participation in work, adds author Professor Lawrence Mead, a professor of politics and public policy at New York University, US.

He goes on to theorise that non-Western cultural groups have “less sense of personal responsibility” and “seek to adjust to outside conditions rather than seeking change” than those from Western cultures.