Dr. Nathan F. Batto is an associate research fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica (Taipei) and the Election Studies Center, National Chengchi University (Taipei). He holds a MA in political science from NCCU (1999), and received his PhD from the University of California, San Diego in 2007. His articles have been published in journals including Journal of Politics, Electoral Studies, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. His recent book, Making Punches Count: The Individual Logic of Legislative Brawls (Oxford University Press, 2024), explores why democratically elected representatives participate in physical violence in legislatures with a special focus on Taiwan and Ukraine but also drawing on the experience of many other countries including South Korea, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States. It was awarded the 2025 Richard Fenno Prize for the outstanding book in legislative studies. He is the author of the blog Frozen Garlic, which provides detailed analysis on political campaigns and elections in Taiwan.
