Shape memory effect (SME) is critical for minimally invasive surgical procedures in medicine. In this paper, the shape memory behavior of amorphous biodegradable polymer, poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide), is experimentally investigated. Based on the experimental observations and the understanding of the underlying mechanism of SME, a one-dimensional constitutive model is derived to describe the shape memory behavior in the context of (1) the stress-strain behavior in deformation, (2) the isothermal recovery and (3) the recovery at constant heating rate, by using a set of model constants. By fine tuning the model constants, a good agreement between the experimental results and computer predictions was achievable. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.