Kautilya's Arthashastra
Author: last_name: Kautilya
Language: English
Year: 1915

The Arthashastra explores issues of social welfare, the collective ethics that hold a society together, advising the king that in times and in areas devastated by famine, epidemic and such acts of nature, or by war, he should initiate public projects such as creating irrigation waterways and building forts around major strategic holdings and towns and exempt taxes on those affected.  Summary excerpted from wikipedia