Phillip is Director of the thinktank ResPublica and is an academic, journalist and author. Prior to entering politics and public policy he was a senior lecturer in theology and philosophy, teaching at the Universities of Exeter and Cumbria. Papers he has authored while at ResPublica include Asset Building for Children (2010), and To Buy, To Bid, To Build: Community Rights for an Asset Owning Democracy (2010) (2010), and (2010)