1 George Gotsis Economic policy in the prehistory of economics: A comparative framework Abstract This paper is intended to provide a framework that seeks to capture issues of economic policy underlying ancient and medieval economic ideas. In so doing, we explore policy implications derived from various streams of thought on economic phenomena, by discussing classical, Hellenistic and Roman conceptions of economic activities. We in turn adopt a comparative approach by reviewing policy implications as integral to certain non-Western traditions and more specifically, to Confucian virtue- ethics, embedded in different societal and cultural contexts. We thus aim at identifying potential convergence and divergence on policy issues between distinct traditions of thought. Moreover, we seek to demonstrate commonalities between Eastern and Western approaches to policy issues and suggest plausible reasons for elaborating parallel or competing views on a variety of economic phenomena: household management, economic motivation, state intervention, tax and monetary reforms, redistributive initiatives and price control. The need for expanding this perspective through future research agendas, is also taken into due consideration. Keywords State intervention, fiscal and monetary policies, self-interest, Aristotelian virtue ethics, Neo-Confucian philosophy, household management