Chanakya
Chanakya ( , ; c. 350-283 BCE) was an adviser and a prime minister to  Chandragupta Maurya (c. 340-293 BCE). Chanakya helped Chandragupta create the Maurya Empire. Chanakya is considered a pioneer (someone who explores a new area) in economics. He wrote about economics a very long time before Ibn Khaldun.