• Political Analysis & Assessment

“Christine combines deep technical expertise in the democracy and governance sector with an understanding of USAID‘s unique needs and dynamics to develop clearly-written evaluations and assessments that are truly useful for the end user. She particularly excels at co-creating research solutions for clients who know what problem they want to solve, but aren’t sure how to do it.”

Aleta Starosta, Global Development Practice Area Lead, The Cloudburst Group

Political Analysis with Context

A former US political strategist, Christine Quirk has been working in Democracy, Rights and Governance (DRG) programming since landing in Baku as NDI’s Country Director in 2004. There, she oversaw civil society, election and political party programs in the run-up to the controversial 2005 parliamentary election. The GONGOs, phantom election monitors, pre-election manipulation of and crackdown on civil society and western governments’ tepid reactions she observed there have become standard operating procedure in developing and stable democracies alike. Managed democracy has become a model. She draws on more than two decades working in complex environments to produce accessible and incisive analyses of these dynamics to inform program development. 

Identifying Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing World

Having lived or worked extensively in Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Russia, Poland and Serbia, she has seen first-hand how democratic gains have eroded under pressure from populism and corruption. Influenced by algorithmically-targeted domestic and foreign messaging, public opinion on democracy and political parties is shifting. Democracy practitioners need to understand how to adapt campaigns and programming to these new realities.

What political forces are in charge? Which ones are in decline? Who is ascendant? Why? Christine is skilled in using tools such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, online methodologies, surveys and social media mapping to evaluate the landscape that shapes programming. Skillful analysis of such data can alert practitioners to subtle shifts in the political environment that may present challenges and opportunities for DRG, advocacy and businesses alike.

With Experience Comes Insight

Christine’s broad experience as a political practitioner gives her context and the ability to ask the right questions to gain deeper insight of local and regional dynamics and the impact of DRG programming, on topics ranging from elections and political processes to conflict-related issues. She has experience as a Team Lead and Lead Writer or Re-Writer on multiple USAID/DRG evaluations and handbooks. She served as Lead Writer on the USAID/DRG Election Assistance After Action evaluation (E3) in Bangladesh in 2024 and as Lead Writer on the pilot Electoral Assessment Framework (EAF) in Serbia in 2022. She was Team Lead on an evaluation of USAID/DRG’s Human Rights in Action programming in Ukraine in 2021 and was Team Lead on an evaluation of USAID/Libya’s SPCPS programming in the south, under the Global Fragility Act in 2024/25. 

“Christine presented FGR findings both visually and narratively, guiding local CSO advocacy groups to new messages and strategies, as well as to areas in which they can best collaborate in legislative and policy advocacy.”

Aubrey McCutcheon, former Resident Senior Director, National Democratic Institute-Liberia