Moshe Cohen-Eliya's research focuses on constitutional theory, proportionality, global
constitutionalism,
institutional corruption, the principle of
antidiscrimination,
multiculturalism, and human rights. Cohen-Eliya, in collaboration with Dr.
Iddo Porat, researches the doctrine of proportionality. In a number of articles written by the two, as well as in the book they co-authored, Proportionality and Constitutional Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2013), they posit that the expansion of proportionality worldwide expresses the "culture of justification," i.e., the culture that demands that the State justify all of its actions. The book situates the doctrine within a historical, cultural, and political context and compares between proportionality and its American counterpart— balancing. The book's main claim is that despite the analytical similarities between the two, there are deep cultural and historical differences that influence the manner they are understood and function in constitutional law. Research published together with Dr. Yoav Hammer, while at the Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, posits that while lobbying could likely promote the democratic process and bolster citizen participation in political decision-making, corporate lobbying arouses concern, particularly related to the integrity of the democratic process since it alters the political order of the day. Cohen-Eliya and Hammer argue that lobbying succeeds in distorting the democratic process especially in niche areas such as capital markets or insurance—fields in which ordinary citizens and politicians have little interest in them and/or lack an understanding. One solution proposed by the authors is to require lobbyists to publish online all written materials they convey to MKs. In this manner, the information becomes transparent and reduces monitoring costs, while encouraging lobbying by competing for economic rivals reducing the risk of rent seeking
lobbying. Member of the Knesset
Shelly Yachimovich introduced a bill based on this idea in the Knesset. == Personal life ==