"We look at historical data and do some averaging, " says John McDowell, spokesman for the Office of Advocacy.

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According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, the number of business loans dropped year over year from 27.2 million loans (in 2008) to 21.3 million loans (in 2011).

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As such, steady declines in start-up size, which stretch back more than a decade, could explain the slow labor market recovery following the previous recession in 2001, as well as today, according to Brian Headd, an economist at the SBA's Office of Advocacy.

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The SBA's Office of Advocacy monitors federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Commerce and the Securities and Exchange Commission--in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980--to make sure they aren't creating new rules that place a disproportionate burden on small businesses.

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Doctors' leaders in Wales backed the calls for an advocacy service funded by the assembly government and regulated by the office of the children's commissioner.

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