Dye et al. 2020, Havana's StreetNet

Disposition: stated. Read 2026-10-14 in the browser (ar5iv HTML, findings and methods sections in full): https://ar5iv.labs.arxiv.org/html/2004.12207 (arXiv 2004.12207).

What: Michaelanne Dye and co-authors (University of Michigan). Ethnography of SNET from 2015-17 fieldwork (46 interviews; participant observation at seven nodes) combined with social-network analysis. Why it matters: One of very few close studies of a large resident-built network's internal power. Brokers at physical chokepoints extract rent, more so on the sparse outskirts, where the cost of rewiring protects them; the same brokers face more accountability because their identities are known. Participants said in 2015-17 that the government knew of SNET and had not tried to disrupt it. Used on: havana-snet, trail-2026-10-14.