PUBLICATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
The Weight of Expectation: Behavioral Evidence on Gender Norm Enforcement. This paper explores how gender norms are socially enforced and how this enforcement varies by transgressor’s gender, norm direction, and observer identity. Based on a randomized behavioral experiment conducted in rural Mexico, the study provides theoretical and empirical evidence of asymmetric sanctioning mechanisms related to unpaid domestic work. The findings offer novel insights into the dynamics of normativity, and social reproduction. [AEA RCT Registry 0014184]
a. Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Roa, M.J., Di Giannatale, S., Villegas, A., & Barboza, J. (2023). Are women more financially vulnerable than men? A tale of missed economic opportunities from Latin America. Development Policy Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12725
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2022). Financial exclusion and financial literacy: Evidence from Mexico. Latin American Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.60758/laer.v31.103
Roa, M.J., Villegas, A. & Garron, I. (2021). Interest rate caps on microcredit: Evidence from a natural experiment in Bolivia. Journal of Development Effectiveness. https://doi.org/10.1080/19439342.2021.1968934
b. Book chapters
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2023). Financial exclusion and the importance of financial literacy. In J. Silber (Ed.), Research Handbook on Measuring Poverty and Deprivation. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800883451.00039
c. Working papers
Hernani-Limarino, W. & Villegas, A. (2026). Where Does the Money Go? Financial Inclusion, Sectoral Savings, and the Gender Misallocation Trap. SSRN Working Papers 6353618. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6353618
Villegas, A. & Smith, H.J. (2026). Who Pays Bribes? Gender, Education, and Petty Corruption in Mexico, 2011–2023. SobreMexico Working Paper Series, WP-SM-2026-09. Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City.
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2026). Ladder or Safety Net? Financial Inclusion and Women’s Social Mobility in Mexico. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8894749/v1. Research Square Preprints.
Soloaga, I., Villegas, A. & Campos, R. (2026). Aspirational Mismatch among Youth in Mexico: Local Opportunities and Household Reference Frames. SobreMexico Working Paper Series, WP-SM-2026-02. Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City.
Villegas, A. (2025). The Weight of Expectation: Behavioral Evidence on Gender Norm Enforcement. GRAPE WP #110, Group for Research in Applied Economics.
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2025). Financial Inclusion and Social Mobility of Women in Mexico. Working Paper 04/2025, Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias (CEEY).
Soloaga, I., Villegas, A. & Campos, R. (2022). Aspirations, Personal Traits, and Neighborhood Environment. SobreMexico Working Paper Series, WP-2022-06. Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City.
Roa, M.J., Villegas, M.A. & Garr´on, I. (2020). Effects of Interest Rate Caps on Microcredit: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Bolivia. Working Paper No. 03/2020. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Desarrollo.
Hernani, W., Villegas, M.A. & Ya˜nez, E. (2011). Unemployment in Bolivia: Risks and Labor Market Policies. IDB Working Paper Series No. IDB-WP-271. Inter-American Development Bank.
d. Policy Reports
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2025). Applying a Behavioral Approach to Expand Financial Inclusion in Mexico. Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). Mexico.
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2022). “Seguro me Aseguro” Project, Design of a diagnostic and evaluation questionnaire to measure access and use of inclusive insurance in Colombia. Fasecolda, Banca de las Oportunidades, and Clever Finance. Colombia.
Roa, M.J. & Villegas, A. (2021). Evaluation of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion of Paraguay 2014–2018, with Emphasis on the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion and Education. CAF – Development Bank of Latin America. Paraguay. Available at: https://scioteca.caf.com/handle/123456789/1871?show=full
Del Angel, G., Martínez, A.L., Morelos, C., Nuñez, A., Resendiz, C. & Villegas, A. (2020). Transforming Retirement Savings in Mexico. CIDE, National Laboratory of Public Policies, and Mexican Association of Afores. Mexico.
Work in progress
Ownership at Stake: Prospect Theory and the Design of a Behaviourally Informed AI Tool for Student Writing. With Lina Restrepo-Plaza, Juan José Rojas-Constaín, Miguel Ángel
Rivera Navarro and Víctor Yeste.
Born Among Girls: Childhood Cohort Composition and the Formation of Gender Inequality. With Hernani-Limarino, W.
Gender Norms and Tolerance of Corruption. With Chapa Barreto, T., Arias Medina, P.