Miss Amy Busby

Biography

2009 – 2013: DPhil in Contemporary European Studies (University of Sussex, Brighton)

Working title: "The everyday practice and performance of European politics: an ethnography of the European Parliament".

I expect to submit by August 2013.

2008 – 2009: MSc in Comparative & Cross-Cultural Research Methods: Merit (University of Sussex, Brighton)

This course provided a thorough and rigorous grounding in research design and use of qualitative and quantitative methods. The modules included; Research Design, Quantitative & Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis, (using SPSS and NVivo), four methods options with projects (Policy Analysis, Comparative Politics, Discourse Analysis, and Ethnography), and a 10,000 word dissertation consisting of a research design.

2005 – 2008: BA in Politics & Anthropology: 1st Class (University of Sussex, Brighton)

Key modules included; 2 Research Skills and Methods courses, Politics of Governance: The EU, The EU as a Global Actor, Populism & Politics, Comparative Politics, The Anthropology of Europe, Religion & Ritual, Power & Politics, Economic Anthropology, and Kinship.

1997 – 2004      Pate’s Grammar School, (Cheltenham)

Role

Amy is an ESRC 1+3 funded DPhil candidate and Associate Tutor at the Sussex European Institute. Her research project is entitled "The everyday practice and performance of European politics: an ethnography of the European Parliament". It uses ethnography to explore the everyday practice of politics by individual MEPs and takes a more holistic approach to this institutional context. It explores how MEPs make decisions, handle their multiple roles, and the opportunities and constraints they face. An inter-disiciplinary theoretical framework combines Bourdieu and Goffman to explore how politics is performed in backstage communities of practice in this transnational political field. It particularly explores the strategies employed by individual MEPs and the role of the political groups in their decision-making processes as communities of practice. The project uses participant observation, elite interviews, and a survey conducted with the MEP assistants, most of the data having been gathered during fieldwork in 2010.

Amy is supervised by Prof Paul Taggart, Prof Tim Bale and Dr Jon Mitchell

Qualifications

Work Experience

Amy currently works part time as an SRO (Social Research Officer) for the Department for Communities and Local Government, with the Research & Analysis Division for the Decentralisation & Big Society Directorate. She works on two qualitative, case study based policy evaluations. This follows a 3 month internship with the Division via the ESRC internship scheme.

She has previous work experience as an intern in the European Parliament, a Political Assistant to a group of County Councillors, and a campaign volunteer.

Activities

1. Publications*

Busby, A. (2013), “Bursting the Brussels Bubble”: using ethnography to explore the European Parliament as a transnational political field’ in Perspectives on European Politics and Society, DOI: 10.1080/15705854.2013.785260

Busby, A. (2013), ‘Normal parliament: exploring the organisation of everyday political life in an MEP’s office’ in Journal of Contemporary European Research Volume 9(1) pp94-115

Busby, Amy. (2011) ‘You’re not going to write about that are you?: what methodological issues arise when doing ethnography in an elite political setting’ in Sussex European Institute Working Paper 125 (available at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sei/publications/seiworkingpapers)

Busby, Amy. (2011) ‘Bursting the Brussels Bubble: ethnographic fieldwork inside the European Parliament’ in euroscope 46 (Summer 2011) page 29 

Busby, Amy. (Autumn 2010) "In the thick of it – participant observation at the European Parliament" in Euroscope 44, page 30

*Amy has submitted 3 further articles to peer reviewed journals all with accepted special issue proposals which are expected to be published in 2013. The articles are based on conference papers listed below.

2. Conference Papers and Presentations

Busby, Amy. And Belkacem, Kheira. (2012) ‘Coping with the information overload’: exploring MEP assistants’ backstage role in the everyday practice of EP politics’ (joint paper presented at the UACES 42^nd Annual Conference, 3-5 September, Passau)

Busby, Amy. (2012) ‘My MEP follows the voting list, unless it is a controversial issue’: the everyday functioning of the political groups inside the EP’ (paper presented at UCL Anthropology Department workshop, “Structure inside Organisations”, 3 July, London)

Busby, Amy. And Belkacem, Kheira. (2012) ‘Coping with the information overload’: exploring MEP assistants’ backstage role in the everyday practice of EP politics’ (paper presented at the UACES Student Forum 13^th conference, 18-19 June, Brussels)

‘The everyday practice and performance of European politics: An ethnography of the European Parliament’ (presentation given at the Sussex European Institute Research in Progress seminar series, 13 June 2012, Brighton)

‘How to design and carry out fieldwork’ (presentation given at the UACES Student Forum Autumn Conference, 7 November 2011, London)

Busby, Amy. (2011) “We’re suffering from information overload here”: the organization of everyday political life from an MEP’s office (paper presented at UACES 41^st Annual Conference, 5-7 September, Cambridge)

Busby, Amy. (2011) ‘Bursting the Brussels Bubble: what can ethnography tell us about politics in the European Parliament?’ (paper presented EPSA 1^st Annual Conference, 16-18 June, Dublin, CES 18^th International Conference, 20-22 June, Barcelona, and at UACES Student Forum 12^th Annual Conference, 30 June – 1 July, Surrey)

Busby, Amy. (2011) ‘You’re not going to write about that are you?: what methodological issues arise when doing ethnography in an elite political setting’ (paper presented at the Danish Political Science Research Program workshop “Ethnographic Methods in Political Science”, 13-15 April, Copenhagen)

Busby, Amy. (2010) 'The Isle of Europe: what can ethnography tell us about politics at the European Parliament?' (paper presented at UACES Annual Conference in Bruges, 6-8th September 2010, panel called 'What can qualitative methods offer EP research?')

Busby, Amy. (2010) 'Watching the natives of the Isle of Europe: what can ethnography offer scholarship of the European Parliament?' (paper presented at the UACES Student Forum 11th Annual Conference, University of Bath, 29-30th April 2010, panel called 'Understanding the European Parliament').

3. Events attended

• 2011             UACES Student Forum Autumn Conference, 7 November, London

• 2011              UACES 41^st Annual Conference, 5-7 September, Cambridge
• 2011              UACES Student Forum 12^th Annual Conference, 30 June – 1 July, Surrey
• 2011              CES 18^th International Conference, 20-22 June, Barcelona
• 2011              EPSA 1^st Annual Conference, 16-18 June, Dublin
• 2011              Doing Critical Research Seminar Series, Birkbeck College, with Prof Jennifer Mason, “Writing is part of the process: research methods, writing and qualitative data”, 26 May, London
• 2011              Danish Political Science Research Program workshop, “Ethnographic Methods in Political Science”, 13-15 April, Copenhagen
• 2010              UACES 40^th Annual Conference, 6-8 September, Bruges
• 2010              UACES Student Forum 11^th Annual Conference, 29-30 April, Bath
• 2009              ESRC training: Introduction to the Media for Early Career Researchers, Birmingham
• 2009           Summer School: “Cultural Dimensions of Politics in Europe”, organized by the Centrum pro Verejnou Politiku, Prague
• 2008           UACES Student Forum Autumn Conference, London

Events organised:

• 2009              “Qualitative Approaches to Investigating the European Parliament” – using UACES and Roberts money, a one-day workshop at the SEI with researchers and practitioners from the field
• 2009              “Public Speaking Workshop” – using Roberts money for MSc students by a professional trainer

Amy and Ariadna Ripoll Servent launched the European Parliament Qualitative Research Network at Sussex, which also has a facebook group. This aims to promote and collate qualitative research on the European Parliament, arrange relevant events and provide space for researchers to share ideas and experiences. EPQRN has organised a UACES-funded workshop on 17th July 2009 called 'Qualitative Approaches to investigating the European Parliament' attended by academics and practitioners (see the report on page 6) as well as panels streams at the UACES Annual conferences in 2010, 2011, and 2012. We are now co-editing a Special Issue with European Integration online Papers (EIoP) organized via the network

5. euroscope

Amy was the editor of the SEI's quarterly newsletter, euroscope (issues 39-47) and of the SEI's Working Paper series.

6. JRA Mentor

Amy was a mentor for a winner of the Junior Research Associate bursary in 2012.

The European Parliament

Ethnography

Qualitative Research Methods

The Democratic Deficit

The ALDE group in the European Parliament

Europarties

European Anthropology

Organisational analysis

Cultural Politics

Associate Tutor:

Won a Sussex Teaching Award in the Early Career Staff category (2012)

Explanatory Concepts in Political Science, Spring 2012, Spring 2011 (UG Level 1)

Research Skills and Methods, Spring 2011 (UG Level 1)

British Political History, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2009 (UG Level 1)

Student Consultation

By appointment