_____________________________________________________________________________________ Akademik Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, Yıl: 6, Sayı: 83, Aralık 2018, s. 619-634 Yayın Geliş Tarihi / Article Arrival Date Yayınlanma Tarihi / The Publication Date 20.11.2018 15.12.2018 Doktora Öğrencisi Şule BATBAYLI Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi, İktisat Ana Bilim Dalı batbaylisule@gmail.com Doç. Dr. Birol ERKAN Uşak Üniversitesi, İİBF, İktisat birol.erkan@usak.edu.tr COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES AND EXPORT SIMILARITIES OF THE FRAGILE FIVE ECONOMIES IN GLOBAL MARKETS 1 Abstract The Fragile Five Economies, emerged with a report published by Morgan Stanley on 1 August 2013, are Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey. Count- ries in question are at the head of the most adversely affected economies from FED’s decision in May 2013. In this study, comparative advantages, and export similarities of the fragile five economies for the period of 2000-2014 were analysed using the Balassa Index, the Vollrath Index and the Export Similarity Index which are the revealed comparative advantage indices. According to the results obtained have indicated that the Fragile Five Economies have comparative advantage in the export of raw material and labour intense goods mostly. In other words, they have specialized in the production and export of the value-added goods less than the ot- her countries. In this context, these countries need to eliminate the fragilities in their economies by increasing the added value in their production and exports. Keywords: The Fragile Five Economies, Revealed Comparative Advanta- ges, Balassa Index, Vollrath Index. 1 This study has descended from the master thesis titled "Foreign Trade Competitiveness of the Fragile Five: Compa- rative Analysis". It completed by Şule Batbaylı under the consultancy of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Birol Erkan on 22.06.2017.