{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]],"date-time":"2026-03-22T04:53:34Z","timestamp":1774155214116,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,18]],"date-time":"2020-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1592438400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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 \u201cright\u201d 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 \u201cwait and see\u201d approach, and create an adaptive and resilient system, governments need to consider \u201cdeep\u201d leverage points that can be realistically maintained over the long-term and cause a fundamental change, rather than focusing on \u201cshallow\u201d leverage points that are relatively easy to implement but do not result in significant systemic change.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems8020020","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,18]],"date-time":"2020-06-18T11:00:56Z","timestamp":1592478056000},"page":"20","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":105,"title":["Developing a Preliminary Causal Loop Diagram for Understanding the Wicked Complexity of the COVID-19 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1914-5379","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oz","family":"Sahin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"given":"Hengky","family":"Salim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6916-0366","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emiliya","family":"Suprun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"given":"Russell","family":"Richards","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4404-1694","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefen","family":"MacAskill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6308-215X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simone","family":"Heilgeist","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"given":"Shannon","family":"Rutherford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6013-3505","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodney A.","family":"Stewart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9219-2120","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cara D.","family":"Beal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"},{"name":"School of Medicine, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"868","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2753.2009.01273.x","article-title":"Health promotion as a systems science and practice","volume":"15","author":"Norman","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. 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