Kautilya Arthashastra: 15 Case Studies of his Management Principles

The author has explains that whether a pre-modern state policy strategist and author, Kautilya, who addressed statecraft in a scholarly fashion, might bear a meaning for contemporary management Studies. Kautilya, a near-contemporary of Aristotle and Alexander the Great, viewed administration as a central feature of statecraft. Kautilya's Arthashastra can be translated as 'Textbook of Statecraft and Political Economy'. It has in its core, diplomacy and strategic literature that should be read as part of the “realist” state administration. Its prescriptions are especially relevant for foreign policy today. The knowledge provided in it offers indispensable means for maintaining and expanding the security and power of the state. Through 15 case studies, this book explores Kautilya's doctrine of management, state intelligence and statecraft, as well as its contemporary relevance, in a 'scale-model' approach, as to demonstrate the validity and meaningfulness of pursuing research today on a broader scale, as well as with greater depth for management studies.