Governments, organizations, and consulting firms looking to improve their strategies and achieve better development outcomes can rely on evidence-based approaches and practical solutions based on behavioral science. 

Visit www.bemethods.com to learn more about my behavioral science consulting firm, Behavioral Methods LLC.

Behavioral Economics Technical Advisor, FHI360 

Utilizing behavioral science and quantitative research to develop evidence-based recommendations across diverse global development sectors, while collaborating with multicultural and cross-sectoral teams.

Behavioral Economics Consultant, Merck

Providing strategic consultation and thought leadership on HPV vaccination mobilization campaigns in Latin America, beginning in Colombia, including developing HPV implementation study designs, data collection design, partnership development, data analysis, and reports. 

Senior Consultant, American Cancer Society

Strategically developing relationships with governments and non-profit stakeholders for the American Cancer Society to build capacity and scale positive outcomes from a behavioral economics experiment that increased HPV vaccination— we implemented six field experiments from 2020-2023 with a small team formed by government and nonprofit organizations. Currently coordinating the publication of five academic papers derived from the RCTs.  

Short-Term Consultant (STC), Behavioral Specialist, eMBeD/World Bank

Tailoring behavioral economics training materials for the World Bank to specific behavioral science and development case studies, such as addressing child nutrition challenges in India and enhancing tax compliance in Kosovo.  

Strategic Advisor, Behavioral Science, MAGENTA

Providing strategic support for developing behavioral science frameworks and experiments to test interventions in Latin America. Specifically, I led the experimental design to test a communications intervention to increase connectivity to the sewage system in Paraguay. Moreover, I advised the behavioral science framework to develop a social marketing communications campaign to incentivize using a new app to report disasters in Paraguay. 

Behavioral Economics Project Consultant, Pacifico

Conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis for Pacifico, a behavioral science communications company based in Chile. We developed vignettes based on behavioral principles and tested their effect on the target population's support of a sustainable development policy in Belize. 

Senior Behavioral Economics Fellow – IDB Behavioral Economics Group / Research Department

Developed and led rigorous evaluations and research for social impact under the Behavioral Economics Group in health, gender, digital platforms, agriculture, water and sanitation, and small enterprises in Latin America. Designed creative and behaviorally informed solutions with external partners such as governments, academics, and non-profit and global organizations. Produced and coordinated reports summarizing the methodology and results of our evaluations, such as technical notes, briefs, reviews, monographs, and academic papers. Aided in the coordination of policy dialogs between specialists and government officials. Developed training materials and taught behavioral economics to internal teams in different departments at the IDB and externally to teams in governments and other institutions like Deloitte’s Global Social Impact.  

Senior Associate, ideas42

Applied behavioral science and human-centered design to improve people’s charitable giving and financial health behaviors. This job entailed keeping up with the knowledge frontier in behavioral science academic research, knowing how to conduct experiments with project partners to apply behavioral science concepts, having a creative mind to design new products or processes, and internal and external partner management. Trained in the ideas42 methodology that I have used in subsequent projects.   

Research Assistant - Inside and Outside of the Laboratory, Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science at GMU

Collaborated in behavioral economics laboratory experiments on the intersection of happiness and competition and research on charitable giving in the US. Given the strong collaboration with academic peers, I built a strong global network in the academic world. 

Experimental design, evaluation, project management, training/teaching behavioral economics, technical writing, strategic planning, and strategic partnerships. Proficiency in STATA. 

Spanish (native), English (fluent)

Doctorate of Philosophy, Economics, George Mason University

Masters in Economics, George Mason University

Bachelor of Business Administration, Economics and Finance and minor in Mathematics, University of Texas at El Paso

Díaz, Lina, Karina Márquez, Déborah Martínez Villarreal and Carlos Scartascini. 2025. "Combating Vaccine Hesitancy: The Case of HPV Vaccination." Social Science and Medicine. June.

Working paper version: Díaz, Lina M., Déborah Martínez Villarreal, Karina Olenka Stella Marquez Guerra, and Carlos Scartascini. 2025. "Combating Vaccine Hesitancy: The Case of HPV Vaccination." Inter-American Development Bank. IDB-WP-1673. https://doi.org/10.18235/0013410. 

Agurto, Marcos, Adans Bremeo, Déborah Martínez Villarreal, Ricardo Peñaherrera León, Lina Salazar, Hori Tsuneki. 2024. "Mejora de la Eficiencia de los Sistemas de Alerta Temprana Utilizando Ciencias del Comportamiento." Inter-American Development Bank. Nota técnica del BID; 2950. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0013041. 

Diaz, Lina, Déborah Martínez Villarreal, Carlos Scartascini, Colombe Ladreit. 2024. "Lowering Businesses’ Carbon Footprint: Adoption of Eco-efficiency Indicators in Colombia and Peru." Inter-American Development Bank. IDB-MG-1189. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0012905.

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah, Ana María Rojas Méndez, Carlos Scartascini, and Alberto Simpser. 2024. "The Central Role of Social Dynamics in Nudging Social Norms for Collective Health." Inter-American Development Bank. IDB Working Paper Series N.1548 .http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0012857.

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah, Lina Díaz, Stanislao Maldonado. 2023. “Nudging the Trendsetters: Increasing Second-dose HPV Vaccination in Bogota, Colombia.” Inter-American Development Bank. IDB Working Paper Series N.1547. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0005331.  

Scartascini, Carlos and Déborah Martínez Villarreal. 2023. “Improving Lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.” In: Behavioral Public Policy in a Global Context, edited by Michael Sanders, Bhanot, Syon and Shibeal O' Flaherty, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31509-1_12. 

Scartascini, Carlos, Déborah Martínez and Cristina Parilli. 2023. “Bridging and Expanding Behavioral Science Channels.” In: Behavioral Science For Development: Insights and Strategies for Global, Impact, edited by Luis Atravia-Mora and Zarak Khan, Bescy Publishing.

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah. 2023. "Nudging Vaccination in Latin America: Insights from Three Field Experiments in Behavioral Economics." Ph.D. diss., George Mason University, https://www.bemethods.com/Nudging_Vaccination_in_LatinAmerica.pdf. 

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah and Lina M. Díaz. 2022. "Behavioral Economics Toolkit: The Case of HPV Vaccination in Colombia." Inter-American Development Bank. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0004610.  

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah, Cristina Parilli, Ana Maria Rojas, Carlos Scartascini, and Alberto Simpser. 2021. "Do You Have COVID-19? How to Increase the Use of Diagnostic and Contact Tracing Apps." PLOS ONE 16 (7): e0253490. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253490. 

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah, Cristina Parilli, Carlos Scartascini, and Alberto Simpser. 2021. "Let’s (Not) Get Together! The Role of Social Norms on Social Distancing During COVID-19." PLOS ONE 16 (3): e0247454. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247454.  

Khalil, Elias L., Jason A. Aimone, Daniel Houser, Siyu Wang, Deborah Martinez, and Kun Qian. 2021. "The Aspirational Income Hypothesis: On the Limits of the Relative Income Hypothesis." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 182: 229-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.12.003. 

Martínez Villarreal, Déborah, Ana Maria Rojas, and Carlos Scartascini. 2020. "Behavioral Economics Can Help Fight Coronavirus." Inter-American Development Bank. Policy Brief IDB-PB-334. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0002315.  

Ashby, Nathan J., Avilia Bueno, and Déborah Martínez. 2013. "Economic Freedom and Economic Development in the Mexican States." Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy 43 (1).  

Ashby, Nathan J., Avilia Bueno, and Déborah Martínez. 2012. “The Determinants of Immigration from Mexico to the United States: A State-to-State Analysis.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 38 (4), 638-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2012.727964. 

Ashby, Nathan, Déborah Martínez, and Avilia Bueno. 2012. "Economic Freedom of the Mexican States in 2010." In Economic Freedom of North America 2012, edited by Avilia Bueno, Nathan Ashby, and Fred McMahon, 37-50. Fraser Institute. 

Ashby, Nathan, Déborah Martínez, and Avilia Bueno. 2010. "Economic Freedom in Mexico 2010." In Economic Freedom of North America 2010, edited by Nathan Ashby, Amela Karabegović, Fred McMahon, and Avilia Bueno, 83-95. Fraser Institute.  

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah. 2025. "La última milla de la política pública: de la buena intención al verdadero impacto." Presented at Congreso Internacional y Nacional de Cáncer.  Senado de la República. Colombia, May. 

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah. 2024. "Designing Behavioral Interventions: Cervical Cancer Elimination." Presented at Network Dialogue Series: Facilitated Discussions on Critical Issues for Cervical Cancer Elimination, Remote, May. 

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah, Stanislao Maldonado, Lina Diaz, Meenu Anand and Carlos Scartascini. 2024. "Multi-Sector Partnerships to Accelerate HPV Vaccination: Scaling Behaviorally Tested Messages to Address Vaccine Trust in Colombia." Paper presented at EUROGIN INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY HPV CONGRESS, Stockholm, Sweden, March.

Stanislao Maldonado, Deborah Martinez Villarreal, and Lina Diaz. 2023. "Leveraging The Trend: Dynamic Norms Increase Vaccinations in a Minority Norm Scenario." Paper presented at The International Economic Association (IEA), and Universidad EAFIT, Medellin, Colombia, December. 

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah, Stanislao Maldonado, and Lina Diaz. 2023. "Nudging Vaccination in Latin America: Insights From Field Experiments." Paper presented at Department of Biomedical Sciences Division of Population Sciences and Behavioral Design Speaker Series, Cedars-Sinai. Los Angeles, CA, November. Webinar. 

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah, Stanislao Maldonado, and Lina Diaz. 2023. "Leveraging The Trend: Dynamic Norms Increase Vaccinations in a Minority Norm Scenario." Paper presented at Advances with Field Experiments (AFE), University of Chicago, IL, September.

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah, Stanislao Maldonado, and Lina Diaz. 2023. "Leveraging The Trend: Dynamic Norms Increase Vaccinations." Paper presented at Second International Behavioral Public Policy Conference, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, September.

Maldonado, Stanislao, Deborah Martinez Villarreal, and Lina Diaz. 2023. "Leveraging The Trend: Dynamic Norms Increase Vaccinations in a Minority Norm Scenario." Paper presented at 5th LACEA BRAIN Conference, Montevideo, Uruguay, May.

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah , Meenu Anand, Marcie Fisher-Borne. 2023. "Increasing HPV Vaccination in Colombia with Low-Cost Behavioral Science Interventions." Poster presented at IPVC, Washington, DC, April.

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah and Lina Diaz. 2022. "A Behavioral Economics Toolkit: The Case of HPV Vaccinations in Colombia." Paper presented at Seminario de Investigación en Ciencias del Comportamiento, UNAM, Mexico, December. 

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah and Lina Diaz. 2022. "A Behavioral Economics Toolkit: The Case of HPV Vaccinations in Colombia." Presentation at the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences Class, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, September.

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah. 2021. "¿Cómo Informar las Comunicaciones con la Ciencia del Comportamiento?" Presentation at the Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación, Paraguay, Noviembre.

Martinez Villarreal, Deborah. 2020. "Behavioral Science Methodologies". Presentation at the Clase Especial Para Líderes de Grupos Estudiantiles, Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico, Julio.