Inductive vs conjugation effects in ester hydrolysis
Clearly, you have not read benzene halogenation before. In the electrophilic substitution of halogens in a benzene ring, the halogen, taking Cl for example, deactivates the ring precisely because its inductive effect of withdrawing electron density from the benzene ring outweighs the resonance effect of Cl donating its lone pair into the ring. It is experimentally proven that chlorobenzenes are less reactive, and you can understand the reason why inductive effect outweighs the resonance effect as the Cl atom, being highly electronegative, is "not willing" to readily donate its lone pair of electrons into the ring; High nuclear charge causes Cl atom to hold tightly to its valence electrons, thus they are not available for donation. Also explains why Cl- ion is a weak conjugate base and weak nucleophile.