In this paper we present a complete analysis of dynamic resource allocation in policy-enabled networks. This analysis is carried out throughout both practical and analytical evaluations. Firstly, we present the details of our dynamic resource allocation architecture based on the policy-based management framework. Then, we evaluate, through extensive experimentations on a developed test-bed, the scalability of such architecture in a real environment. Finally, we develop an analytical model for the proposed architecture. This analytical evaluation allows us to confirm our practical analysis and to identify the weakness of such architectures.