Magister Artium - MA / The way in which people utilise their FREE TIME [that is time left after all commitments (social and physiological) have been met] forms the central theme of this study. An important aspect of this theme for the geographer is the interaction between supply and demand of recreational facilities, because determines the spatial location of facilities in urban areas. In the South African society certain factors which influence the normal interaction between supply and demand have developed which can be identified as problems. In this study the problems which exist regarding recreation and the use of free time are examined with specific reference to the people living in Bellville South, a "Coloured" Group Area on the Cape Flats. Data for the study was collected with the air of a structured questionnaire and thereafter statistically analysed with the intention of answering the following questions: What is the nature and extent of the use of free time during the day, over weekends and during vacations of the inhabitants of Bellville South? How does the politico-economic structure influence the supply of facilities for recreation in Bellville South? What is the influence of the politico-economic structure on the demand for facilities (the recreational behaviour) for the inhabitants of Bellville South? The data which had been collected with the aid of questionnaire, was further supplemented with personal interviews. In order to answer the above questions satisfactorily, recreation resource base in Bellville South was looked firstly. The local supply was measured according to national and international norms based on information obtained from the relevant literature. An attempt was made secondly to determine the demand for recreation generated by the community. It was evident from the literature that the socio-economic level of communities played a vital role in the determination of the extent of their demand. By examining certain socio-economic parameters, it was found that the community of Bellville South consisted mostly of people from the working-class. Subsequently the factors which have an influence on the recreational behaviour of the respondents during the day, weekend and vacation time-periods, were examined. It was found that, as one can expect from a predominantly working class community, recreation was mostly directed at the home environment during all three time-periods. This can be explained by referring to the constitutional constraints (Group Areas Act, Separate Amenities Act), socio-economic constraints and the inadequate recreational facilities in the study area. The interaction between demand and supply within the prevailing politico-economic structures was subsequently examined. The correlation between demographic and socio-economic variables and recreational activities was examined with the aid of crosstabulations. The resulting spatial pattern of the recreational behaviour of the respondents was analysed cartographically. By examining the latent and potential demand for recreational facilities it was found that there are very real needs in the study area. Lastly, recommendations were made with a view of alleviating the problems which have been identified. It was felt that immediate attention should be paid to shortcomings in the supply and maintenance of recreational facilities in Bellville South, while the political problems which make a meaningful utilisation of recreational facilities by everybody in South Africa impossible at the moment, should also be removed.

Les Banques centrales occupent une position essentielle au coeur des économies contemporaines et font l'objet de débats animés sur ce que devraient être le rôle, les objectifs et le cadre institutionnel d'une Banque centrale. Face à une multitude d'analyses normatives concernées par ce qui doit être, on note une absence relative d'analyses positives. L'objectif de cette thèse est de contribuer à éclairer la réflexion sur les choix de politique monétaire mis en oeuvre par les Banques centrales. Le cadre d'application empirique retenu pour notre recherche est celui de l'Union économique et monétaire (UEM). La place importante de cet ensemble économique sur la scène internationale et son cadre institutionnel particulier suffisent à justifier l'intérêt d'une étude du comportement de la Banque Centrale Européenne (BCE). Les nombreux débats qui ont accompagné la mise en place de cette institution encore relativement jeune et ceux qui se poursuivent aujourd'hui renforcent cet intérêt. Dans la littérature économique, deux lignes de conduite ont principalement été retenues pour analyser les choix effectifs de la politique monétaire des banques centrales. La première approche, que nous avons qualifiée d' « économique », consiste en la formulation et l'estimation des fonctions de réaction de politique monétaire déduites d'un comportement d'optimisation ne prenant en compte que des variables économiques. Cette approche est fondée sur une vision globalisante de l'autorité monétaire... / Central banks occupy a key position at the heart of contemporary economies and are the subject of lively debates about what should be the role, the objectives and the institutional framework of a central bank. In the presence of a multitude of normative analyses concerned with what should be, there is a relative lack of positive tests. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to elucidate the reflections on monetary policy choices implemented by central banks. The empirical application framework used for this research is that of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The crucial position of this economic entity on the international scene and its particular institutional framework suffice to justify the interest of analysing the behaviour of the European Central Bank (ECB). The numerous debates that accompanied the establishment of this still relatively young institution and those who continue today reinforce this interest. In economic literature, two guidelines were mainly used to analyse the actual choices of the monetary policy of central banks. The first approach, which we call "economic", is the formulation and estimation of reaction functions of monetary policy derived from optimising behaviour taking into account economic variables only. This approach relies on a globalising vision of the monetary authority...