Si '''Chanakya''' ([[IAST]]: ''{{IAST|Cāṇakya}}''; {{audio|Chanakya.ogg|pronunciation}}; 350 – 275 BCE)<ref name="VKSubramanian1980"/>{{Sfn|Jain|2008|p=9}} ay isang guro, pilosopo, ekonomista, hurado tagapayo ng hari na [[India|Indiyano]]. Sa tradisyon, kinikilala siya bilang ang '''Kautilya''' o '''Vishnu Gupta''', na sinulat ang lumang kasunduang pampolitika sa India, ang ''[[Arthashastra]]'' (''[[Ekonomika]]'').<ref name="Mabbett">{{cite journal | last1 = Mabbett | first1 = I. W. | title = ''The Date of the Arthaśāstra'' | journal = ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' | volume = 84 | issue = 2 | pages = 162–169 | id = ISSN 0003-0279 | doi = 10.2307/597102 | jstor = 597102 | year = 1964 | publisher = A''merican Oriental Society'' }}</ref> Sa ganitong kadahilanan, tinuturi siya bilang ang nagtatagay ngtinuturing larangantagapagbunsod ng [[agham pampolitika]] at ekonomika sa India, at inisip na ang kanyang gawa ay mahalagang pasimula ng [[ekonomikang klasiko]].<ref>L. K. Jha, K. N. Jha (1998). ''"Chanakya: the pioneer economist of the world"'', ''International Journal of Social Economics'' '''25''' (2–4), p. 267–282.</ref><ref name="bss.sfsu.edu">Waldauer, C., Zahka, W.J. and Pal, S. 1996. [http://online.sfsu.edu/mbar/ECON605/Arthashastra.pdf ''Kauṭilya's Arthashastra: A neglected precursor to classical economics'']. ''Indian Economic Review, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, pp. 101–108.</ref><ref>Tisdell, C. 2003. [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:84337 A Western perspective of Kauṭilya's Arthashastra: does it provide a basis for economic science?] ''Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Paper No. 18''. Brisbane: School of Economics, The University of Queensland.</ref><ref>Sihag, B.S. 2007. ''Kauṭilya on institutions, governance, knowledge, ethics and prosperity''. ''Humanomics'' 23 (1): 5–28.</ref> Nawala ang mga gawa noong palapit na ang katapusan ng Imperyong Gupta at di na natuklas hanggang 1915.<ref name="bss.sfsu.edu"/>
