Alia holds a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Her work focuses on political economy, economic development, state formation, and South Asian borderlands.
Layered Continuity in Pakistan’s Northwest Borderlands: State, Power, and Political Economy
Routledge, 2026
Alia's book develops the 'layered continuity' framework to explain how new laws, funds, reforms, and political openings are absorbed into older arrangements, reshaping how people claim resources, negotiate access, and make authority workable in practice.
Her writing is undertaken in a personal capacity; the views expressed are her own and do not represent the position of the UK government.
