COVID-19 is a wicked problem for policy makers internationally as the complexity of the pandemic transcends health, environment, social and economic boundaries. Many countries are focusing on two key responses, namely virus containment and financial measures, but fail to recognise other aspects. The systems approach, however, enables policy makers to design the most effective strategies and reduce the unintended consequences. To achieve fundamental change, it is imperative to firstly identify the “right” interventions (leverage points) and implement additional measures to reduce negative consequences. To do so, a preliminary causal loop diagram of the COVID-19 pandemic was designed to explore its influence on socio-economic systems. In order to transcend the “wait and see” approach, and create an adaptive and resilient system, governments need to consider “deep” leverage points that can be realistically maintained over the long-term and cause a fundamental change, rather than focusing on “shallow” leverage points that are relatively easy to implement but do not result in significant systemic change.

We investigate the notion of capitalizing on investments in energy, water and gas efficiency within the context of affordable rental housing subsidy schemes; how associated utility savings offer a means to deliver policy designed to mitigate for issues of split-incentives. An Australian case study representing a typical affordable housing development is analyzed for two scenarios - a ‘Business as usual’ and ‘Green-certified’ case. Over a 10-year rental tenancy, operational utility efficiencies, achieved through green building principles are modelled to reduce total housing costs by 1.7–3.8% (AUD $5–18 per week), for one- and four-person households, respectively. Over the building lifecycle, the net present value of improvements are forecasted to be positive, signalling favourable support for policy interventions. The findings provide evidence to support a broader notion of ‘housing assistance’ to one that includes improved standards on residential utility efficiency. We present three policy options on how to deliver these benefits to stakeholders.

Previous research regarding PhD students’ well-being (PhD-WB) has lacked a comprehensive and systemic analysis. This research engages with a systems approach to examine the multiple variables, including feedback mechanisms, which influence PhD-WB over time. The model was developed using a structural analysis method (Cross-impact analysis MICMAC) that informed a causal loop diagram (CLD). The aim was to understand what promotes (drivers) and inhibits (barriers) PhD students’ well-being. The results show that PhD students’ well-being reflects an interplay between university, financial support, students’ mental and physical health, and family/friends. However, the analysis shows that the role of the drivers is dynamic, and they can become barriers in certain circumstances. This insight validates the application of systems thinking to illustrate the complexity of PhD students’ well-being.