Weldon's work has been noted for contributing to both substantive political theory and empirical methods.
[1] Weldon attended Simon Fraser University, graduating in 1991 with a BA in political science and sociology and a minor in philosophy.
This work provided evidence that social movements can be an effective means for systematically disadvantaged groups to promote their collective aims, and that in some cases strong social movements can provide more effective safeguards against negative political outcomes than the official inclusion of group members in formal institutions like legislatures.
[2] Weldon's third book was coauthored with Mala Htun and published in 2018; in The Logics of Gender Justice: State Action on Women’s Rights Around the World, Weldon and Htun studied the evolution of women's rights issues such as family law, abortion, paid parental leave, and contraception from 1975 to 2005.
[3] Weldon and Htun received the Human Rights Best Book Award for 2019 from the International Studies Association.